Changed
by Cherrysinger
Summary: Syaoran Li: the nerdiest person in school. No one cared he was heir to the richest company in the world, all they saw was his ugly slicked back hair and dorky clothes. But now, it's his time to show them up, and show them who he really is, a HOT guy. au
1. Makeover

A/N: Hey! This is just a fun fic, just so I can try and get my inspiration back for…something –wink- I ain't tellin ya cuz I don't feel like it. This is just a short little fun fic, nothing serious and it should be over soon, or fairly soon…or so I think…unless I change my mind or something. So…I'm going to have _so _much fun writing this, believe me.

Disclaimer-recites off paper- I don't own CCS or company, yeah?

Chapter One: Makeover 

Syaoran Li sighed as he walked through the halls of Hong Kong High (what an original name), ignoring the stares of the newbies and the sneers and the people giving him once-overs.

He was used to this. He could take it. Yeah, he could take it.

Perfectly.

...Who was he kidding? He couldn't. It hurt, alright?

He was the sole heir of the Li Clan…and yet no one really cared. All they saw was how extremely _ugly _he was and then they would whisper in amazement, looking at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Then they would ask their friends loudly,

"That's _him? _Syaoran _Li_? –I never knew he was so ugly! His mother's good-looking, and I think I heard that his father was pretty good too before he died…ew…must be bad genes…"

So, he was a loner.

But so what if he had bad taste in clothes and that he liked keeping his hair completely slicked back with ridiculous amounts of gel…it was so that it wouldn't get in his face…

He sighed again, his shoulders sagging. Maybe he should give himself a little…er, makeover?

But then he vigorously shook his head. What would people think then? That he was a poser?

Eh, well…

He did want to show them up really badly, but would it be worth it? He knew he looked exactly like his late father except for his amber-chocolate eyes…if he only dropped all his ugly little habits.

He would think about the idea, besides, he didn't want to think about his father at the moment.

Sighing, he trudged through the halls to his locker.

"Yo geek!"

This couldn' t be good. He kept a slight twinge of annoyance down.

"Head's up!"

SPLASH!

Right. Ok. So it wasn't good.

Roaring laughter echoed down the hallway, along with the sounds of high fives and slaps on backs.

Now soaking wet, he walked past them, teeth clenched in barely suppressed anger. Only his pride had kept him from telling his mother of the teasing and bullying at school and have everyone who ever made fun of him socially humiliated. But he wouldn't stoop down to their level. He was a Li, and Li's held themselves proudly and honourably, which was exactly what he did.

He changed his course, and instead of heading to his locker, he sped quickly to the washrooms.

Once he got there, he locked himself in a stall, sifting around in his backpack for the extra clothes he brought.

See? He was prepared.

Once he found what he wanted, he changed and bustled out of the washroom and hurried to his locker. It was only a minute till bell!

He twirled his lock, and in his haste, messed up the combination. Now cursing silently, he repeated the combo more slowly, relief washing over him once he heard a satisfying _click_. He creaked open the locker, checked his schedule, saw that he had music first, and grabbed all his books, dumping his backpack inside. He ignored the notes that had been slipped into the locker.

_Probably some insults…blah… _

Then he slammed his locker shut and closed the lock, practically leaping to class.

He got there and collapsed into his seat just as the bell rang, not caring that there were empty desks all in a circle around him.

Like he said, he was the loner.

"Class, today we will be practicing our vocal skills," Groans were heard from around the room (mostly from boys), Syaoran included. It was the exact opposite for the girls, who were all beaming and bouncing in their chairs. "Yes, but don't be afraid to show your voice, even if it is bad. By the time you leave my class, I guarantee you, you will be improved…even if it is only a little, still, it's an improvement,"

Syaoran groaned gloomily in his head. This was another way to completely embarrass himself.

"We will start with voice intonation, class please repeat after me…"

This was going to be a long period.

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Later…

Syaoran was almost snoozing, but his Li Clan training kept him in place. He was more talented than other people…he was one of the elite due to his status, but of course, only his family and his few friends knew this.

"Li?" the teacher called upon him. He quickly snapped to attention and answered,

"Yes?"

"Please come up and sing a song of your choice,"

In disbelief, he got up and placed himself in front of the class. Oh no…

But then he mentally sighed and searched his mind for a song, finally coming up with one.

"Um…Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney?" he randomly blurted out.

Well, it wasn't too bad, but he wasn't that fond of the song either.

"Of course." The teacher (Ms. Mizuki) nodded, inserting a CD into the karaoke machine she had brought. Carefully, Syaoran picked up a mike and waited for the song to start. When he saw words appear on the screen, he began singing.

He finished quietly, placing the mike down again and bowed to the class, who were all speechless, and something like…respect? Flashed through their eyes.

Shaking his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips, he went to his seat and sat down into it again, watching as one by one, every student in the class went up. Some bad…some good…some amazing…

It was an interesting day, he had to say.

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"It's Xiao Lang Wei," Syaoran spoke into the intercom (?), pressing a button down. He was currently standing in front of the gate to his house.

A crackling noise came, and then a long beep was heard, unlocking and opening the gates. He walked into the house…_mansion, _and met Wei, his butler there.

"Have a good day master?" Wei asked as he watched Syaoran shrug off his jacket and hand it to a maid to put away. Syaoran looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?"

"You seem…different today, young master."

"Oh, it's nothing." Syaoran shrugged and started climbing the stairs to his room.

Wei observed him silently as he left. He had known his charge since birth, and he had a funny feeling Syaoran was going to do something…

Meanwhile, Syaoran was in his very green, large, room doing his homework which was only a sheet of math, a subject that he excelled in. As he was scribbling down some answers, he thought back to Wei. Silently, he chuckled.

So, his butler knew he was going to do something. Not surprising, but he was glad that his wizened butler didn't say anything else.

Finishing the math and shaking his head at the easily done equations, he laid his books on his 'homework' desk and stretched himself up with cat-like grace, yawning a bit. Un-attaching himself from his chair (why did he have to sit on his butt all day anyway…that was all he seemed to _do_-teachers really needed something more creative), he sauntered to one of his walk-in closets, purposely going to one of the ones he didn't use that often. He didn't know why he needed so many closets in the first place either, much less walk-in ones...but his mother had insisted...

Walking into it, an array of different coloured clothes hit him. Guess saving every single piece of clothing and shoes anyone ever gave him turned out to be useful after all.

He grinned. Yeah, he was definitely going to go through with the little 'makeover'.

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A/N: Hey, well, here's the first chapter! Oh…I hope it's not too short…-bites nails- er, no flames either please! But constructive criticism is allowed. Please review though! I would really appreciate it, it makes me type faster.


	2. Finally

A/N: Hellooo! I'm back again! Hope you enjoy this chapter by the way.

Disclaimer: …Nah…it's too good to be true if I own CCS and its characters…the day that happens is the day when anime is real! A.k.a NEVER!

**Sakura will be in this story, thought you should know that since so many people asked, lol! I mean, where's the story without the romance? **

Chapter Two: Finally

An auburn haired girl flopped down on the couch, emerald eyes scowling.

Uggh, Touya had called her a monster _again! _When would he stop? It was _so_ annoying!

But for some reason, her mind wandered to music class that day.

It was where that nerdy nerd had sang…it was supposed to be a happy song, but his voice had such a loneliness and melancholy to his voice that it was almost heartbreaking.

Sappy and cheesy, yes, and totally random to what she was thinking about before, but hey! She was a spontaneous person.

Everyone was always so mean to those kinds of people though. All they saw was the outside of them and their appearances...it really wasn't fair at all. While she had always been nice and fair to them, she hadn't bothered to shower them with special treatment. Funny, because she never really noticed those people that much before, she just chattered with her friends, caught up in her own world. She felt strangely guilty.

Come to think of it…what was that nerd's name?

Her forehead wrinkled for a bit.

…Sho…

Nah, that wasn't right. She tried again.

…Sheoran.

Eh…closer, but it still didn't sound right.

Shaoran?

AH! Now she k_new_ she was close!

Then it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks (or a cow on a stick, as she liked to say).

Syaoran! _That _was his name. Now for the last name. She rubbed her temples. This was hard, hard work.

It started with an 'l', she knew that at least.

Lei?

No…

_…No_...no...it couldn't be!

She shook her head in disbelief, not willing to accept it, but she knew she had to, it was the only explanation.

Syaoran _Li..._

Her face dawned in understanding.

Syaoran Li...heir to the richest company in the world.

Her mouth now gaping with shock, she scrambled up again, as her head had thumped against the coffee table in front of her when she came up with his name.

_But…he's a Li! He could socially humiliate everyone who's ever picked on him! _Sakura thought, eyes widening with disbelief. But when she had gotten over her shock and become somber again, as her head had _somehow_ kept onlanding on the table in front of her, her eyes softened.

The Li guy was so nice to be doing that for people…

Or perhaps it was his pride that had kept him from doing that?

Li's _were _known to take pride in everything they did, no matter if it was not in their favour, or vice versa.

She thought again, summoning up a very, very faint image in her mind of him. This really was giving her a headache.

He had dark, chocolate-coloured hair that was ridiculously slicked back (and unnecessarily as well, in her point of view), coupled with equally dark amber-brown-chocolate eyes and his weird clothes.

—He wasn't bad looking, she concluded. He could definitely improve himself by letting that hair out of the gel and choosing better clothes to wear, but if looked at closely (even with those atrocities), he was alright.

_Alright, Li…I dunno why you've gotten yourself so much attention from me, but just cause of this, I'm gonna be nice to you and try and talk to you…maybe be your friend? _Sakura concluded to herself, a faint smile on her lips.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Syaoran browsed through his clothes, picking out some baggy dark blue jeans (not so baggy that he looked like a slug or gangster though), and a dark green t-shirt with the words 'Beats Me' sprawled across it, along with a goofy looking Mickey Mouse getting beaten up alongside it.

Syaoran grinned, and wondered why he didn't wear any of this stuff before…it was way better than all of his other plain shirts that he usually wore.

Then something long caught his eye.

Curiously, he went over and picked it up.

Two long, one silver and one black, chains sparkled back at him, the kind you attached to your jeans.

Perfect! He'd always wanted some of these, he couldn't see why he missed them before.

He moved on, and found a pair of skater shoes. Now satisfied, he gathered everything up and walked out, plopping them all on the bed, so he could wear them on Monday (well, after he took a shower to get all that gel out of his hair). He didn't want to wear them _until _Monday either, because...well, he wanted to save the time he had left as his 'geeky' self. He didn't understand why he would want that, but he still felt like this was a part of himself that was going to completely disappear on Monday.

Still having that lop-sided goofy grin on his face, he slid downstairs on the banister, only to be scolded at the bottom by his mother, who had just come home from an important conference in Japan.

"Xiao Lang! What do you think you are doing? And what did I say about those…" she eyed his clothes, trying to come up with something appropriate, "…_clothes? _They bring shame to the Li name, really…"

Syaoran waved this off.

"Mother, it's alright. I'm going to change them…it's Friday today after all. I'll wear something better on Monday, so as to not disgrace the Li name," he replied, bowing curtly to her before walking calmly out of the room, an air of importance around him.

Leaving Yelan blinking at her son's back.

She had told her son to change his appearance again and again before,but he had only shrugged or told her that it was the insides that counted, and that people had to look past the outside appearance to see who he really was…

_Why the sudden change?_

Her forehead creased in worry. Yes, she was happy for her son for finally deciding to take heed of her words, but she really hoped that all this wasn't going to get to his head if he _did _change his appearance. He would have girls flocking him all over Hong Kong and then some more!

She sighed. The last thing she needed was having a shallow son, which she had purposely brought up to be modest, respectful, prideful, polite, reliable, honourable, trustworthy, independent, and yet also able to work with others if the need arose.

_If this is just a whim he's thought up out of nowhere, then he had better keep his head and sanity and live up to his blood, because if he doesn't, I'll see to it that he does. _Yelan thought firmly, a hard, calculating look on her face as she stared into nothing, as if remembering something.

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"So, how's it going buddy?" Yamazaki asked, arms behind his head lazily, sitting in the little booth in the ice cream parlour. Syaoran was hanging out with his friends, who, unfortunately, went to another school and couldn't convince their parents to let them switch, and same for Syaoran.

"Nah, same. Everyone making fun of me and all that," Syaoran replied, shrugging.

"You should really do something about it! Like go tell your mom and disgrace them or something…whatever you rich people call it," Yamazaki exclaimed heatedly.

Eriol, blue eyes twinkling madly (the guy was always insane in Syaoran's opinion), added,

"You really should do something about it, Syaoran,"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't go and disgrace them like Yamazaki says I should…that's going down to their level, and playing dirty too. Remember? I'm supposed to—"

"Respectful and honourable, yeah yeah, we get it," Yamazaki cut in. "Well then why don't you change how you look and then show them up?"

"Finally, he's gone and come up with something useful for once," Eriol commented, turning hid head to hide his small snicker when he saw Yamazaki's eyebrows twitch in irritation.

"Hey, I resent that!"

"Do whatever you like, it's none of my concern,"

"Shut up Eriol…at least I don't go around being all mysterious all the time,"

"What's wrong with that? It's just the way I am,"

"…" Yamazaki's face was sour. "Aargh…stupid guy who acts all innocent,"

Eriol, who hadn't heard, continued on,

"See, you don't have anything to say to that, do you?"

"…innocent my butt,"

"…Excuse me?"

"Innocent guy with an innocent house who goes to an innocent school who acts all innocent when he really isn't innocent at all," Yamazaki was muttering.

Eriol sweat dropped.

"Yamazaki…"

"Shut up Eriol! Innocent evil stupid smart hypocrite poser…ok! I'm all done now! What did you want Eriol?" Yamazaki tilted his head oh-so _innocently_.

Eriol sweat dropped even more, wondering how he had become friends with this lunatic.

"Uuhh…nothing. It's ok now Yamazaki…just as long as you don't go and tell some insane story,"

"Very Syaoran thing to say," he replied dryly.

"Well, what you said was a very Syaoran thing too…we're hanging around him _way _too much—I'm losing my mysteriousness," Here Eriol frowned and put a hand on his chin, "This isn't a good thing,"

Syaoran, who was laughing in the background and had been doing so for the last few minutes stuttered out,

"S-stop guys! I c-can't BREATHE!" he fell into another laughing fit on his last word.

Two glares turned his way.

"Shut up," both growled in unison. At this Syaoran laughed even harder.

"Y-you sound just li-ike me! M-man, Eriol p-pal…you r-re-really _are _losing your mysteriousness," his laughter faded a little and he stood up sheepishly from the floor, where he had fallen and hit his head before. Seeing other people's stares and 'kids these days…' from some older members in the ice cream parlour, his expression turned even more sheepish, but even so, he called out,

"Ok, ok! Move it on, the show's over, there's nothing else to see!" then, quietly to himself, he muttered, "I swear, some of the people here come just for kicks…we do this practically every day. Without us the store wouldn't be so loaded all the time…honestly…"

"Thanks Syaoran," Yamazaki spoke for himself and Eriol.

"Whatever, no problem,"

_I should really be thanking **you **guys...you have no idea how much both of you mean to me. Thanks guys… _

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After the ice cream parlour incident, Syaoran decided to take a visit to the park by himself. He had his hands tucked into his pockets and he was staring at the kids playing with a grin on his face.

"It's nice to watch, isn't it?" a quiet voice behind him causing him to spin around with slightly round eyes. He had been way too distracted to sense someone behind him.

"Wha—?" he managed.

The girl laughed, but stuck out a hand anyway.

"Hey, I'm Sakura Kinomoto,"

Still swimming in shock, but now slightly in suspicion, he didn't accept the hand.

"Why are you telling me your whole name? I could be a kidnapper for all you know,"

Smile slightly fading, Sakura still stubbornly kept her hand up.

"I know you from school. Seen you around…Syaoran Li, right?" she questioned.

"Ohh…" Syaoran racked his brain for the auburn-haired girl in front of him. A memory came.

_Syaoran was walking coolly down the hall. It was the first day of high school. _

_Already, he was being picked on, and he could just sense the loner status being ready to be pasted onto him. _

_Suddenly though, from down the hall, he spotted a pretty…no, scratch that…**beautiful **auburn-haired girl chatting with her friends, eyes sparkling. _

_As she walked past, she gave him a friendly glance, not that calculating one he was used to getting. _

_"Hello!" she greeted happily, giving him a smile before walking past him. _

That had been one of the rare moments someone had been nice to him.

Formerly icy amber eyes melted a bit and he smiled a bit at her, tilting his head and accepting the hand. Shaking it, he greeted,

"Hey, nice to meet you Kinomoto. And yeah, it's nice to see kids playing,"

Eyes lighting up, Sakura's smile came back blindingly.

"No, no! Just call me Sakura. It's what everyone calls me, Li," she said, and Syaoran could tell that she was trying to get his permission to call him by his first name. Even though he liked her, didn't mean he trusted her though…

"Ok, Sakura," he agreed.

Sakura mentally sighed.

_So…we finally meet, Syaoran Li. You're such a hard person to get into… _

Then a determined, steely look appeared in her eyes.

_I'm going to be your friend no matter what, Li…am I sick though? I've never wanted to be someone's friend so badly before. This is twisted, seriously. But Li's a nice person, if you don't get on his bad side, I'll admit. _

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A/N: Argh, long chapter. Sorry if it's weird and needs some editing, I tried to get it done as soon as possible. Sleep…

And please review! (no flames please, but suggestions are welcome to see how I can improve) Oh yea, I have no strength to reply to reviews now, so I'm sorry…


	3. AN, Nothing Serious

**Please read! I know that people tend to skip author's notes (me included), but please read this, all of it! I'm serious.**

A/N: Hey everybody! Nah, don't worry, **I'm not discontinuing this story or putting it on hold or anything like that. **I'm just wondering, since this story is doing way better than I thought it would, I want to keep up with my readers' expectations and also cause I'm...uh...curious about something (-sweatdrop-, yea I know I know)...

So I'm taking a poll, two in fact!

Poll One: Do you want the next chapter to be funny or serious?

The chapter I'm typing up is funny, since I can't hold back on humour for that long, I like jokes. But I'm just wondering...please pick funny though! Oh yea, btw, the next chapter will be posted on Sunday, March 13 or a few days after that due to technical difficulties including my dad's laptop running out of battery and schoolwork. It seems like everytime I write a story, this happens.

Poll Two: I'm wondering what age each of you are. SO, what age are you? You don't have to put it if you don't want to, but I'm curious at the variety of audience I'm getting for this story. If you don't want to put your specific age, just put something like...

Ex: I'm somewhere between the ages of 14 to 17.

Please review then! Don't worry, I'm going to post the next chapter sometime, hopefully not too long from now. And, in case you skipped a part of my author's note, read over and look for my excuses, which are absolutely reasonable I assure you.

Lub and luv,  
Cherrysinger

Buhbye for now...!


	4. Getting Under

A/N: Heyyy, I'm back! Jeez, guys…you spoil me way too much (not that I mind…)! Just look at how many reviews I got…I'm so thrilled! EE! Lol, sorry…momentary insanity there (-sweatdrop-)…but it passed. I've never gotten this many reviews before! And I only put two chapters out so far (not counting this one). WOW! Keep it coming guys, you really know how to make a person's day.

**All questions will be answered at the end of the chapter, and editing of chapter two has been done to erase any confusion, like I said, I was really drowsy when I wrote that chapter…so…yeah…anyway, this chapter is going to be humorous since I think you guys need some…this story hasn't had any so far. **

Disclaimer: If you see a 'dis' in front of a word, especially in front of 'claimer', I gotta wonder if you're stupid if you think the person owns the thing.

Chapter Three: Getting Under 

"…So this turtle was like, yeah! I'll let you ride on my shell, but just _be careful it doesn't explode! _Get it? A turtle's _shell _and the kind that's like a bomb and _explodes? _Get it? _Shell?_" Sakura made wild motions, even trying to demonstrate with her hands.

"…" was the reply.

Sakura had been_ trying_ to get a conversation going with Syaoran…but he just didn't seem to respond, not even to her extremely funny turtle joke, which was her BEST joke!

…Her BEST one!

"Isn't it funny?" she tried once more.

"…" again, this was the answer she got from him. He really only seemed to be happy with just looking at the kids playing in the playground.

So (since she had run out of good jokes to crack), after a while, she fell silent and stood back, watching the kids too.

At first, it was alright, since some of the antics that the kids pulled were quite funny, but after awhile it got a bit monotonous.

Still, while Sakura thought that the kids were nice and dandy and all, she really wasn't interested in staring at them forever. But she didn't complain. If it meant getting to know the guy (which was really strange in her opinion, since she would swear she was obsessed with Syaoran), then she would do it.

Not for his money, or to become his girlfriend, but just to be…

…His friend.

She herself didn't get it, so she didn't expect anyone else to.

…Zzz…eighteen minutes…

Twenty minutes.

Now she could've sworn some drool slipped out of her mouth, and she absently rubbed the (imaginary) piece of wetness away, lingering longer than was necessary since she was bored and needed something to do.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she nearly choked on her tongue as she tripped over her own feet in shock and pitched forward but then tripped over her feet again, and pitched backwards this time.

_Thump. _

She landed painfully on her 'rear end'.

She moaned, rubbing her 'hind quarters' gingerly.

Then a small noise stopped her.

Eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion, she whipped around to locate the muffled sound. These same narrowed eyes then became huge baseball-sized ones, which then proceeded to shrink into dot sized ones.

Why was this?

It was because Syaoran Li stood there, one hand clamped over his mouth and his left cheek twitching just the slightest bit, but just enough to let her know that his lips were quirking. His deep amber eyes, those eyes that were always swimming with chocolate, and were her favourite part of him (or so she thought, _unconsciously_), were slightly crinkled.

And definitely the most amazing part about this image, was that…

The noise had come from him!

In her shock, she hadn't noticed one detail though, which she now only noticed from her view on the ground, still sitting there after the painful fall on her 'buttocks'…

She narrowed her eyes even further.

It was a _snort _that had come from him…

Now her eyes were dreadfully narrow. He was laughing at her? After…after she had hurt herself and had a painfully pain-filled landing on her 'behind', he was so cruel as to laugh at her?

Why, she never!

Huffing indignantly, she demanded,

"And what, may I ask, is so funny?"

Syaoran slowly pried his hand away from his mouth, biting his upper lip carefully to keep from laughing.

He shook his head.

"Nothing at all," then, as an after thought, he added, "Oh, are you ok by the way?"

Sakura glared at him even more.

"I'm just fine, I could go and skip around the world," she answered flatly, then quirked her eyebrow, "Could you at least help me up?"

"Huh?" Syaoran looked lost for a moment, "Oh!" it finally hit him. He reached out a hand and gave a small impish grin.

Grumbling now, Sakura accepted the hand and got up, dusting off her clothes.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Syaoran, who still found the situation immensely funny, then asked her (quite seriously),

"Sakura, were you bored the whole time we were standing here? I mean, you could've told me…and you didn't have to stick around with me anyway,"

Sakura was silent for a moment, thinking.

To answer, or not to answer, that was the question. She couldn't very well tell him straight off that she was set on being his friend for no reason in particular. That just didn't sound right.

"Ummm…" Sakura sweat dropped as she felt Syaoran's expectant gaze on her. "Uhhh…ummm….uhhh…errr….uhhh….ummm…uhm…uh…I don't know? I just wanted to?" she finally squeaked out lamely.

Syaoran's eyebrows rose all the way to his hairline.

"Really?"

He searched her face for the truth.

And, amber-chocolate and emerald green clashed.

Syaoran's eyes looked into hers, boring into them. Sakura felt a shiver travel up her spine, forcing herself to stay still and not back away.

"Ok," Syaoran finally said, finding what he needed.

"Really?" Sakura piped up hopefully.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Really,"

"Then—then can I call you by your first name now? Please?" Sakura pleaded, using her puppy-dog eyes, which she was sure would work.

Silence.

Sakura faltered for a bit and looked up uncertainly at Syaoran, but what she saw wasn't exactly what she expected. He looked _surprised. _

"Why do you want to call me by my first name so badly?" he questioned, now slightly suspicious. Maybe that first day when Sakura said hello to him was only a fluke…

Sakura was shocked once again. _Li sure is full of surprises, _she thought wryly. _Man, he's so hard to get under…he can't trust very easily, but I can't blame him really… _

"Look, you don't have to let me call you by your first name, but it's just…it's just that I do this with everyone that I meet. So far you're the first person that isn't letting me call them by their first name, so that's why,"

Actually, this was true, so she technically wasn't lying.

"Oh, I get it. Yeah, sorry about getting suspicious and all. You just call me Li until I trust you more, ok? Sorry, but I don't let people call me by my first name that often," Syaoran apologized.

"No problem. But hey, listen. Do you want to go to the ice cream shop over there and get something to eat? I mean, you don't have to but I want to get to know you better, you know? Everybody's so mean to you at school I've noticed, and I just want to get to know you," Sakura suggested, tilting her head to the side.

"Ok, sure. But, just making sure…you're not doing this because you feel sorry for me, are you? Because I don't need that crap," Syaoran said, somewhat harshly.

_Man…this guy is **seriously **hard to get under, _

"Of course not...I wouldn't do that. Now come on!" and with that, Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand and dragged him over to the cute little ice cream shop.

Once they were inside, Sakura brought him over to the counter and only then let go of his hand.

The cashier looked up at them, after quickly finishing something on a notepad.

"Welcome to Ice Cream Villa, how may I help you?"

"I would like a double scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup please," Sakura ordered, going with her favourite kind of ice cream (next to strawberry of course). Then she turned to Syaoran with an inquiring look.

"I would like a triple scoop of chocolate ice cream, also in a cup please,"

Sakura's look became pleased.

"So, you like chocolate a lot?"

"Yeah,"

Sakura's smile widened as she whipped out a notebook from her pocket and took out a pen, clicking it open. Then she scribbled something in it.

Curiously, Syaoran peered at the notebook.

SUBJECT 

-Dark brown hair

-Dark brown eyes (amber with some chocolate-brown in it)

-Likes chocolate

His face became incredulous.

"_What? _Are you a stalker or something? What's that for?"

Sakura beamed at him.

"No, just that, if I want to get to know you better I have to write down some facts about you so that I won't forget them. I have a bad memory you know,"

He turned his disbelieving face towards her.

"You're serious,"

At Sakura's nod, he sweat dropped and shook his head. What a weird girl.

"Your ice cream is ready," the cashier came back with the two ice creams in her hands, setting them on the counter. "That will be 13.40 please,"

"Thank you. Hold on a moment," Syaoran politely inclined his head before fishing in his pocket for his wallet.

"Hey, no! What are you doing? I'll pay!" Sakura protested, grabbing his arm and stopping him.

Syaoran's face registered amusement.

"It's always the guy who pays, not the other way around. Come on, just let me," he yanked his arm away from her grip and finally took out his wallet.

Only to be tackled to the floor by a certain stubborn girl.

"No! I'm treating you, ok?" she insisted.

"Sakura, what are you doing? It's not a big deal, it's just ice cream,"

Sakura shook her head persistently, still pinning him down to the floor.

Syaoran, with his martial arts training, threw her off of him and rolled over as she tried jumping on him again.

"Hey! Mrs. Lady! Yeah, you!" he looked pointedly at the cashier, "Oh, sorry if you're not married...then…Ms. Lady? Nah…I'll just call you cashier lady. Ok, let's start this again. Cashier lady! Here, catch…keep the change, your tip," he threw three five dollar bills towards her, which she caught eagerly.

Sakura saw this and then stopped trying to knock Syaoran out, instead just sitting on then floor looking sulky.

Then she pulled out her notebook again to add something.

-Knows martial arts

-Very, very stubborn

Syaoran, who was holding their ice creams and currently glaring at the people who were staring at them, walked behind her and bent down to peer at the little book and twitched his lips a bit when he read what she had written down.

"Let's go eat," he spoke, startling her into dropping her notebook.

She whirled around and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" then she added, thinking about the last time he had scared her, "Again!"

She jotted down another thing before closing it.

-Subject is very quiet when moving

"Why do you call me subject? Can't you just call me by my name?"

Sakura's eyes widened from where she was sitting on the floor.

"SHhh," she put a finger to her lips, eyes darting around, "You never know when someone's spying!" then she paused for a moment, "Oh, and yea, about your question…I don't put your name in case this…this _notebook," _here she clutched it tightly as if it were a precious artifact, "In case this notebook falls into the _wrong hands. _Then they could use the information _against you," _she ended, nodding her head knowingly.

Syaoran, by now, had his mouth slightly open, eyes shifting from Sakura to the notebook and back again.

Sakura, notebook, Sakura, notebook, Sakura, notebook, Sakura, notebook, Sakura, notebook, Sakura, note—

"You really think of _all that _when you're doing this?" Syaoran finally came out, still slightly speechless.

Both didn't notice that their ice cream was melting and that everyone in the little ice cream shop was staring at them once more, since they made quite a scene, with Sakura sitting on the floor holding a notebook as if it were her life and Syaoran standing over her with his mouth open and ice cream melting.

It was very interesting to say the least.

"Yes, I'm looking out for your own welfare," Sakura tried looking very regal and important, but failed miserably.

Shaking his head once more (he seemed to be doing that a lot lately), he helped the 'crazy lunatic which he still seemed to like', up.

"Oh my god! Our ice cream is melting!" Sakura cried, staring aghast at her precious food. She shoved the notebook back and snatched her ice cream from Syaoran, pulling him by the sleeve to a booth by the window.

Then she plopped down into the seat and started shoveling the ice cream furiously into her mouth, trying to eat it before it all melted.

Syaoran, who was still standing beside the booth looking as dumb as a rock just _standing _there, sank slowly into the seat across from Sakura.

_Mood swings much? _He thought, thinking that he'd never figure the girl out.

But then when he realized _his _own precious food was melting into a big, brown puddle in his cup, he hurriedly picked up his spoon and started pushing the ice cream into _his _mouth, stopping once in a while to let a brain freeze pass before continuing.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Ah! That was good, wasn't it?" Sakura breathed contentedly, having just exited the ice cream shop (they had stayed and ordered even more ice cream since they couldn't seem to get enough of it). A small burp came out. Her face turned a red hue and she coughed, "Uh…excuse me,"

Syaoran let out a laugh before patting her back in a good-natured way.

Sakura had begun to grow on him, he admitted. Even if he was still reluctant on letting her call him by his first name, he was ready to call her his friend. And only after a while of hanging out with her too!

"Hey, no problem. We all do it," then he abruptly stopped, checking his watch. What he saw almost made him faint.

"You have to go home, right?" Sakura guessed correctly.

Syaoran nodded his head wildly.

"My mother's going to kill me! And then my sisters are going to pinch my cheeks and say," here he imitated a high, squeaky voice, "Oooh! Cute little brother is in trouble? But he's still cute!"

Sakura covered her mouth, giggling, but then she remembered something and took out her notebook, asking,

"How many sisters do you have?"

…Syaoran slapped his forehead. Sakura was _still _onto that.

But then he gave in, knowing that he couldn't stop her.

"Four, all older,"

She jotted it down and then, after tucking it back into her pocket, said,

"I have an older brother too. Can I walk home with you?"

"Sure, just follow me. Promise you won't faint either,"

"Why?" Sakura seemed confused.

"You'll see," was all Syaoran said. Then he sped off down the street, running.

Sakura blinked after him, amazed at his speed.

But then something occurred to her.

"HEY! Wait for me! Can't we get a cab or something!" Sakura whined as she tried to keep up with Syaoran.

"Too slow! This way's faster. Besides, my home isn't that far from here. Just three blocks away!" he called back, accelerating his speed even more.

Sakura, who was now panting, groaned to herself,

"And I thought I was a good runner…"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Finally, after a lot of shouting to 'wait up' and almost-collapses from Sakura, who was thinking that the blocks they had to run were very unusually _long _blocks…

They arrived at their destination.

Sakura put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Look up, Sakura," Syaoran coaxed her.

Halfheartedly, she looked, still clutching her stomach.

A definition of _heaven _met her eyes.

Her mouth hung open, finally just realizing how rich Syaoran really was.

Because, what was Syaoran's 'house' was really a mansion (A/N: I really don't know what his mansion looks like, so I'm making it all up from my little fantasy world, lol).

Fancy, intricate, golden gates stood in front of the property. Lush, neatly ordered green lawns spanned around the house, along with a lot of forestry in the back. Flowers also littered the lawn and two sparkling fountains with mermaids sprouting water from their mouths framed the stone path leading to the house. The house itself was magnificent. It was painted red and gold, with bits of white appearing.

It was an old-fashioned looking mansion, with swirling edges and Chinese symbols and creatures such as dragons painted over the roof, but it looked completely brand-new. Sakura had a feeling the mansion was really old however.

"Like it? I told you not to faint, glad you didn't." A voice snapped Sakura out of her reverie.

"Oh my god Syaoran…this is amazing!"

Both didn't notice that she had called Syaoran by his first name...

(A/N: AWWW...how cute!)

"I know, eh? Wish I could let you in, but I can't. I have to ask my mother right now and besides, we're going to eat dinner. Jeez that reminds me—I really have to go!" Syaoran rushed, turning away from Sakura, and waving a bit to her.

Sakura, saddened a bit, quickly called to him,

"Can I see you tomorrow then? At the park, around two-o-clock?"

Syaoran, a bit surprised, turned back to her.

"Really? You want to?"

She nodded.

"Ok, sure then…" Now, for some reason, Syaoran blushed…"Uh—see you tomorrow then,"

"Y-yah, sure. See ya! Bye!" Sakura waved to him happily as he twisted around again and buzzed the buzzer thing.

"Wei, it's me, Xiao Lang,"

The gates 'buzzed' and then clicked open, Syaoran stepping into them and disappearing into the mansion.

Sakura, standing outside of the gates, strolled off, a thoughtful look on her face. Xiao Lang was probably his Chinese name. Another thing to add!

She shuffled out her notebook once again and put it down. Then, she reflected on everything she had gathered that day.

SUBJECT 

-Dark brown hair

-Dark brown eyes (amber with some chocolate-brown in it)

-Likes chocolate

-Knows martial arts

-Very, very stubborn

-Subject is very quiet when moving

-Has four older sisters which subject finds very annoying

-Lives in a huge mansion

-Has a mother (name is yet unknown, will be added later)

-Chinese name is Xiao Lang

Satisfied, Sakura closed the book and held it to her chest. She already knew some stuff about him!

Yay! She was progressing. It really _was _hard getting 'under' him, so to say, but it was worth all the trouble. She knew that he still hadn't opened up to her completely, or trusted her completely, but this was a start.

_What am I doing? _She suddenly wondered. She had just went home that day and decided to become Syaoran's friend.

It was _insane. _But she didn't regret it. He was a good person to hang around and talk to, besides, he shared her passion for ice cream! Finally! All her other friends preferred popsicles, but she didn't get it. Ice cream tasted good! Plus, it at least had _some _things in it that were good for people, while popsicles were just basically frozen sugar juice.

_Well, today went well at least. I'll see about tomorrow. _

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: I KNOW this is a long chapter now, don't deny it! I spent…argh…I spent two, almost three hours working my butt off because I wanted to get it all finished by today so I could post it up. It's like two chapters combined into one!

Oh, here are some questions that I'm answering since some reviewers asked them. I can't answer all reviews, sorry! That'll take too long, lol.

_Question_: How did Sakura recognize Syaoran if he was wearing his cool clothes?

_Answer:_ Well…actually…Syaoran wasn't wearing his cool clothes. I didn't make that too clear in the last chapter cause I was woozy when I wrote it and didn't bother editing it, but now that mistake is fixed if you read chapter two again. Syaoran's only going to start wearing the clothes on Monday when he goes to school, k?

_Question:_ Isn't Sakura only after Syaoran's money or something? She surprises me a bit.

_Answer:_ This question is answered in this chapter, but to repeat, Sakura is NOT going after his money. I wouldn't make Sakura like that! For now, Sakura doesn't know why she's trying to be his friend, but we all know that they're meant to be, so they naturally stick!

_Question: _Why is Syaoran like this? I mean, all geeky and all. The story's good but the characterization of him doesn't strike me as Syaoran at all.

_Answer: _Well, this IS a bit of an AU story, and in fanfiction, you can twist the characters and plot and storyline and basic facts about the story around, even until it becomes that you're only using the CCS characters, not the storyline of it or anything else at all. So, I'm taking a break from the normal CCS storyline cause I think this spices things up a little.

Ok, I think that's about it! Please review, you should after I've given you this long chapter…-glares- you better…or ELSE. XD

No flames please! But you can give me suggestions and stuff, just try not to make it too harsh, please? Lol! Oh and yeah, I didn't edit this chapter cause I wanted to get it out as soon as I could, so tell me if there are any mistakes, or if it's too confusing and I'll fix it.

I'll say it one more time (heheh): REVIEW PLEASE

:P


	5. Trust

A/N: Hey hey! I'm backkk…can't get rid of me that easy, lol! And if I'm not writing, I'm reviewing, so…nyah, there, for all you people who want to get rid of me.

–Ok, so I'm in a weird mood right now. Lol! I'm glad all of you enjoyed the last chapter and please read the end of chapter author's note for some questions that need answering. Hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you'll recognize. That was a good disclaimer, wasn't it? Yea! I like that one…

Chapter Four: Trust 

_The night before… _

Syaoran walked inside his mansion after saying goodbye to Sakura, trying to cover up his practically overflowing happiness at having someone actually try and get to know the real him, regardless of appearances.

It was definitely his day! And he would get to see Sakura tomorrow too. Although, he still find it rather strange that Sakura had won him over so easily, and he had had the strangest sensation in the pit of his stomach whenever he talked with her, kind of like a warm glow, and she just made him feel so happy…it was really hard to explain…

But he didn't want to ponder that at the moment, and ruin his perfectly good mood.

Taking off his shoes and setting them in the right place, he padded over to the dining room, where he found his family just beginning to get together for dinner…

Whew…he arrived just in time. Coincidence much? He laughed to himself, still having that strange happy-go-lucky feeling floating inside of him.

"Hello mother, sisters," he greeted formally, nodding at each one of them in turn. Then, he went over to his usual seat and scraped it open, sitting in it in a very stiff manner, unlike the usual plop he would give in the presence of his friends. The Li family was very traditional.

"Good, you've made it back just in time Xiao Lang. I was beginning to worry," Yelan acknowledged him.

"Soooo, little brother, where have you been?" Fuutie smiled at him, eyes twinkling.

Syaoran barely suppressed a groan as he answered,

"Uh…here and there. What I usually do. I hung out with Yamazaki and Eriol for a bit," which was not _entirely _a lie either, so nobody could accuse him of lying.

Yelan closely scrutinized her son. There was definitely something off. Carefully, she questioned,

"So, then, I trust your day has been good? You seem…a bit unusual at the moment. Care to share with us?"

Syaoran fidgeted in his seat for a bit, still unwilling to tell them about Sakura—at least not in front of his sisters. They would go all crazy and then just _assume _that she was his girlfriend…and when an idea appealed to them, it stuck.

"Um…no, I'm just happy to see Eriol and Yamazaki again, it's been a while since I last saw them,"

Just as he finished, the food arrived, carried by their servants. Syaoran quickly picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to _coincidentally _put food in his mouth exactly at that moment, so that no more questions could be asked.

His mother, seeing the slight truth in his words before, decided to accept it and go interrogate him later. She had a feeling that he was a bit uncomfortable in the subject of his day, even though she hadn't the faintest idea why.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Syaoran grimaced to himself, recalling the events that had happened the night before. He spotted as bench in the park that Sakura had asked him to meet her at and flumped down onto it, still lost in his thoughts and therefore not noticing a girl with a sneaking expression on her face that was slowly nearing him, and who was shoving a pink notebook into her pocket. She had a pen stuck over one ear.

So, where was he? Ah, yes. After dinner. So then, after dinner, his mother had confronted him flatly and forced it out of him about Sakura, at which she was thrilled at.

But he still didn't particularly like the devilish glint her eyes had adopted…

And, knowing her, if she was anything like his four sisters (hey, they had to get it somewhere, even from usually serious mom), then she was planning something.

And so, in other words, he was dead.

Although he wouldn't mind that much if he was dead with a certain _cherry blossom… _

He quickly banished the thought, flushing a bit and scolding himself.

_Bad Syaoran, bad Syaoran, bad Syaoran, bad Syaoran… _

He had absolutely no idea where that random thought had popped up from (A/N: -smirks- I do), absolutely no idea.

He was only _friends _with Sakura, simple _friends…_nothing more. And to top it off, she annoyed him a lot too (even though he sometimes enjoyed it, he wouldn't admit it)…

"BOOO!"

"ARGGHH!"

All of a sudden those two screams erupted from the innocent bench in the park.

"Haha! GOTCHA!" Sakura grinned, pointing rudely in Syaoran's face and prancing up in front of him with a smug expression on her own face.

Syaoran, on his part, was trying to recover his dignity, but still managing to scowl up at her.

"What's with you and scaring people like that?" he asked, slightly disgruntled at being scared so many times in only two days.

Sakura, on her part, only shrugged.

"I don't know," here she paused thoughtfully, but continued on cheerfully, "But it's fun,"

Syaoran rolled his eyes at her, and running hand through his hair—an odd habit he had picked up from Yamazaki.

…Only to find it completely slicked with gel when he pulled it out. Disgusted, put it behind his back so Sakura wouldn't see it and rubbed it over the bench.

_The gel is definitely going, _he thought to himself. _I don't care if people think I'm a poser, this is stupid. I can't believe I lived with myself like this for so long! _He berated himself for the millionth time.

_Hmmm…I'm going to get Sakura back for scaring me too…imagine, a girl humiliating me, and so many times too! I swear, my pride is being flushed down the toilet faster than I can say— _

"Uhm, Li? Li?" Sakura waved a hand in front of him, snapping him out of his thoughts, and at which he replied with a blank expression, a bit offended at being so rudely interrupted.

Giving a half-hearted glare at being ignored, Sakura repeated,

"I was asking you a question. I said, what do you want to do today?"

This was answered with another point blank stare.

"Let me guess, you don't know, do you," Sakura said sardonically, eyes laughing at him.

…Syaoran finally realized at how stupid he must have looked.

"Um! I mean, no! I know what we can do…we…could…uh…you know…do…uh…go to the ice cream shop?" he ended lamely, giving her a sheepish grin, a sweat drop trailing its way down the back of his head.

Sakura rolled her eyes, blowing a breath out in exasperation.

_"You're _the man, you're supposed to come up with these sort of things, not the other way around!" Syaoran was strongly reminded of their conversation yesterday at Ice Cream Villa. "Ok, _I'll _decide then…let's just go…um…how about let's go…umm…oh!" her eyes lit up as she finally found something, "Let's go to this really great park I found the other day! It's mostly trees and forest and stuff. We could go and check it out?"

Syaoran nodded, agreeing and not wanting to make a bigger fool of himself than he already had. Especially since he was only just realizing what Sakura was wearing.

Some dark blue jean capris with a belt and a baby blue t-shirt that had the words 'Gotta Love Me' written across it in dark blue. She was wearing sandals.

For some reason unknown to him, he blushed and that glowing feeling returned, although he knew it wasn't at its peak yet. _That _was when she smiled. Or laughed. Or spoke. Or made one of her extremely cheesy, ridiculous and un-funny jokes.

In other words, he got it when he had a taste of her personality.

So then he got up from the bench he was sitting on to try and shake himself off.

He expectantly waited for Sakura to start leading the way to the park.

…Only to be faced with a Sakura that _wasn't _doing all of those things. In fact, she was scribbling in her notebook.

He eyed her and murmured to himself,

"Jeez…whata weird girl. She's like…a…a…_stalker_ lady," Then, louder, he said, "You're still carrying that thing around? I would've thought that you forgot about it." Here he pondered for a moment, "I guess luck just didn't head my way today," he pretended to shake his head sadly as he went over and peeked over Sakura's shoulder.

- Subject does not like being scared

-Does not know how to plan things at all

At this last jot note, Syaoran became defensive.

"Hey! I so can plan things…it's just that I didn't think this needed planning! I plan for formal stuff and stuff like that," he protected himself indignantly.

Sakura rolled her eyes, a teasing smile pulling at her mouth.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say Romeo…" and with that, she tucked her little book away and started walking, Syaoran watching her in open surprise for a moment before jogging up to catch her.

_She made a nickname for me…Romeo… _

_Whoa— _

_I never thought I'd say this, but I think I like it… _

When Syaoran heard his thoughts (usually they were insanely wild and completely random ones too, this time wasn't an exception), he shook his head, muttering under his breath (which he seemed to be doing a whole lot lately),

"You're getting too soft for your own good, man. Better not let your sisters know about this nickname or you'll be doomed for life,"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"We're here!" Sakura chirped cheerfully, throwing her arms out as if she was welcoming the world. She breathed in deeply as Syaoran took in the scenery.

Trees.

That was the first thing that hit him.

Trees and trees and trees…oh, and grass too…and some flowers…

But other than that—trees.

"…" he stared dubiously at the scenery, but then, hesitantly,

"This is a…nice park." He commented, trying to push away his little wheedling doubts.

What he was thinking, however, was that this wasn't the first place he would've headed for if he had been the one choosing.

Sakura, sensing this, whacked his arm, and then, when she saw him give her a mock 'what did _I _do?' look, planted her fists on her hips.

"Li, I know you don't mean what you just said, but just appreciate the nature," then, at seeing his obedient nod, but coupled with a slight hidden snort (which was not so hidden), she continued on and ranted, "Mother nature has supplied us with so many things, including the food you eat! Trees help you breathe, since they provide oxygen. Without them, you would be dead. Mother Nature has also given us water, and the materials that we use to make our everyday needs. Everything has some link to Mother Nature! The _least _you can do is appreciate it instead of—"

"Ok, ok!" Syaoran held up his hands in a defeated manner, "I get it already! I'm sorry about 'not appreciating Mother Nature'. Now come on, let's go…um…explore!"

Syaoran made a mental note to himself as he tugged Sakura along with him, seeing her flounce indignantly and jot something down on her notebook (which was probably about how he didn't appreciate Mother Nature).

_Never get on her bad side._

But he had to admit, Sakura did have a point about Mother Nature.

…Kind of, anyway. (A/N: Only to _his _weird, twisted mind it's like that, lol! Sorry, couldn't resist butting in.)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Contented, Syaoran strode inside after another good day with Sakura, feeling regretful about not being able to spend the day tomorrow with her.

He had some conference thing he had to attend to with his mother for the whole day, so that he could 'watch and learn from her' and be the best possible leader for the Li Company.

Smiling to himself and shaking himself away from his oh joyous adventure the next day, he thought about the park they had gone to, which hadn't turned out as bad as he had thought. Eyes brightening, he remembered one particular moment he liked. It made him feel warm knowing that Sakura had trusted him with something so private…

_"Hey! Romeo, come over here, I think I found something!" Sakura called from over her shoulder, straying from the path and tumbling through some bushes, making a lot of noise. _

_Syaoran sweat dropped at this, but was secretly pleased that she had called him by his new 'nickname'. _

_The queer feeling in his stomach kept on 'glowing' (Syaoran's thoughts: Man, is this what a crush feels like? No, it's different. I do NOT have a crush on Sakura though, so it has to be something else). _

_He yelled, _

_"Yeah, coming! Give me a moment," _

_He trampled after Sakura, worrying for a bit if there was poison ivy, but he honestly didn't want to think about that… _

_So he didn't. Simple as that. _

_Finally spotting Sakura's back, he blinked as he took in the adorable picture of her, standing there with her mouth open, hair all ruffled and with leaves and twigs tangled in it._

_**Why does she have her mouth open? And why's she standing there like an idiot? **These were Syaoran's first thoughts that came across. _

_Curiously, he approached her and stood beside her. _

_It was then that the sight that Sakura had seen met his own amber-chocolate eyes. _

_Mouth dropping open much like Sakura's, his eyes opened in wonder. _

_Cherry blossom trees stood everywhere, in no particular order, although they did made a rough circle. It was as if someone had tried to orderly plant them, but it went a little wrong. Delicate petals lay on the floor, along with some wilting flowers that had fallen out of some of the trees. _

_And the blossoms were so pink that it was almost breathtaking. _

_It was just beautiful. _

_Syaoran was strongly reminded of Sakura as he looked around, whose name actually meant cherry blossom in Japanese. _

_"I never knew cherry blossom trees grew in Hong Kong…" Sakura finally breathed, eyes still burning with wonder, like a child in a candy store. (A/N: I don't even know if cherry blossom trees bloom in Hong Kong, lol! Please ignore this if they don't) _

_"Me neither…and I've lived in Hong Kong all my life…" Syaoran whispered as well, not willing to shatter the peace and tranquility the scene represented. _

_"Well, I haven't lived here for my whole life…I used to live in Japan…but when…" here she looked downcast, gulping sadly, "When my mom—died…my dad couldn't take it, looking, everyday at things that reminded him o-of her. So...we moved here," _

_Syaoran turned speechless, gazing at Sakura. _

_He never knew she had such a burden in her life… _

_So then, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the situation they were in, Syaoran shifted his feet around and dropped his gaze to the ground. Eventually, he tried comforting her. _

_"…Um," he started uncertainly, "…I know it hurts…my dad died when I was little too," his voice faded here, but then held up strongly, "So I understand what you've been through. I don't remember my father that much though. He died when I was four," _

_(A/N: Again, I'm not sure about this, so just bear with me) _

_Sakura's saddened emerald eyes which were a couple of shades darker than they usually were, softened at his confession, glad to be witnessing his soft side. _

_"…My mother died when I was five," (A/N: Again, not sure!) _

_"So…aren't you going write down those facts about me?" Syaoran tried cracking a joke, one side of his mouth curving up in a half smile. _

_Sakura answered back with her own creaky smile as she leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes asking for permission. He nodded to her and let her, that bubbly feeling welling up inside him again. He felt strangely elated as well, lighter… _

_"This is too personal. I wouldn't do that," Sakura shook her head softly, "Besides, what if someone actually **does **get to my notebook and figures out it's you I'm talking about? I did kind of make it obvious," here she laughed sheepishly, and Syaoran felt relief wash through him. _

_He grinned, fully this time (no half smile) down onto her auburn head as he felt their conversation turning less dark. He then teased playfully, _

_"So, what're we doing having this serious conversation? Let's go explore the Sakura trees," And then he unattached Sakura's head from his shoulder and bounced off to the biggest tree, leaping up into its branches. _

_He was determined to get to the top of it and scare the pants out of Sakura, worrying about if he was going to fall or not. The prospect of it made him smirk. _

_Before climbing the tree though, he thought he saw Sakura blush, but he knew he must have been imagining it. _

_The day that Sakura would fall in…dare he say it? In love with him would come when they were all dead, she only thought of him as a friend, and he only thought of her as a friend. And it would remain that way. _

Syaoran stretched out his muscles, having changed into his practice clothes as he was thinking about his time with Sakura.

After scaring the pants off Sakura by climbing to the top of the cherry blossom tree, as he'd wanted to, they had played a game of hide-and-seek, and tag. Childish, yes, but they had loads of fun. And, Syaoran had finally let Sakura call him by his first name, towards the end of their time together. He finally trusted her enough for that (and Sakura seemed to be all hyperactive after that for some reason).

Jogging down to the traditional dojo with his traditional Li sword (the Li's had a very extensive history, they had even been a kingdom once in the far past, but their numbers had dwindled so now they were only a very, very rich company…they had kept most of their traditional ways though). His mother had insisted that he learned martial arts, and he hadn't objected that much, despite the aching muscles that he had come to expect at the end of the day. It was fun, a way to concentrate himself and yet also a way to free himself, and he liked that.

Syaoran got into a stance, letting his mind drift once again as he practiced, or 'trained' as his mother liked to call it.

His mind went back to what he had been thinking about when he was in the cherry blossom clearing.

_The day that Sakura would fall in…dare he say it? In love with him would come when they were all dead, she only thought of him as a friend, and he only thought of her as a friend. And it would remain that way._

Syaoran still agreed with that statement.

…Little did he know.

Just because he didn't think that he and Sakura could be together, didn't mean that they couldn't. That they wouldn't.

And after Sunday, would be his time to show up at school, this time with a whole new look.

Who knew what could happen?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: This chapter isn't as long as before, but it's better than my first two! I never used to make chapters this long before…and somebody even called my last chapter only sort of long. Humph! Why I never…nah, just kidding, lol! Anyway, last chapter every paragraph (if you can call them paragraphs) was only, for the most part, only one sentence long, so it made the chapter look longer. Here, in this chapter, as you can see, it's not like that (well…in some places it is...lol, ok, in a lot of places it is) so this chapter is probably just as long as the last chapter (maybe...maybe not lmao!).

Here are some questions that need answering!

_Question:_ Why did Syaoran all of a sudden just let Sakura call him by his first name in the last chapter?

_Answer:_ Uhhh…that was my mistake. I didn't mean to do that! –looks sheepish- Just that, sometimes when I edit my chapters I miss some things by mistake. But since so many people liked that last chapter, I went back and left it, but included an extra line that said something like 'Both of them didn't notice that Sakura had called Syaoran by his first name'. Please tell me if I make any sort of these mistakes in any chapters I write, because, like I said, sometimes I miss them when I'm looking over my chapter. Thank you to the reviewers who pointed that out. Sorry again!

_Question:_ If Syaoran's in Hong Kong, shouldn't his Chinese name be Sieu Long?

_Answer:_ Well, all of the fan fiction writers over here on f a n f i c t i o n . n e t use Syaoran's Mandarin name (Xiao Lang), but the person who pointed this out is right. Technically, if you live in Hong Kong, chances are that you speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. But I myself speak Mandarin, so I'm more comfortable with using it (I don't know any Cantonese whatsoever, lol). So, I'm sorry if it's wrong, but I'm just going to use Xiao Lang. Besides, the way you say Xiao Lang is different that you think. It's actually pronounced 'Shao Long', so the reviewer's spelling of the Cantonese version may be wrong, since she (?) did it according to how you say it. Don't worry though! Thanks to the reviewer who pointed this out, it's a really good point!

I think that's about it! So, if you have any other questions, just review and ask them, yeah?

So…what I'm trying to say is, please review? Pretty please? As usual, no flames please, but I can take constructive criticism and suggestions, because it helps me improve my story. I don't particularly like this chapter either, so please be a little light.


	6. Total Surprise

A/N: Hey you all! I'm back with another chapter and I'm so happy at the reviews I got, thanks! –salutes- (I read all of them just to tell you)

NOW, it's the chapter you've all been waiting for! I love making you wait, but those previous chapters with Sakura were also necessary. It's all planned out in the head, I tell you (not really…I don't have a general plot yet, SOME HELP PLEASE! Lol, it really would be appreciated though).

Disclaimer: I hate this little thing. For the last time (not), NO I do NOT own CCS. Grrr.

Chapter Five: Total SURPRISE! 

Syaoran grinned wickedly.

He was finally back from that conference in Japan. It was the morning after that.

To put it shortly, it was the day after the conference, which meant that it was a Monday, and Monday meant _school_. And school meant makeover.

He was at last ready to do the makeover.

He picked up the clothes that he had selected the other day from one of the couches he had thrown them on. He left the shoes so he would put it on when he went out of the house. Then he sauntered to the washroom to take a shower.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the shower. It was like a whole new person came out, and if you didn't know better, you would have thought so as well. Whereas this total, geek, lame etc. person went in…it was out that came a heartthrob.

Syaoran was in his new clothes, hair damp and tousled all over his head, with very effective-looking bangs hanging messily over his forehead, covering his eyes a little. His intense amber-chocolate eyes were clear but also mysterious and dark, and for once, they were noticeable.

Excited, but not showing it, since he knew he was acting like a girl at the moment and it was absolutely embarrassing, he casually walked over to one of his full-length mirrors (it was his mother's idea to get mirrors) he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

…He peeked open one eye, and then the other.

He stared at his reflection.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then his mouth dropped open and he began to blink rapidly, like something was in his eyes.

This could _not _be him, was the only thing his brain was registering.

Convinced that there was something wrong with the mirror, or that his sisters had done something to it, he walked to behind the mirror and checked it over carefully, looking over any places that seemed suspicious to see if there was something underneath it.

When he found nothing at all wrong with his mirror, he went to another mirror. Again, that drop-dead gorgeous guy that girls would die for was staring back at him, doing exactly what he did.

Now frustrated, he walked to every single mirror he had in his room, even the one in his washroom.

He gritted his teeth angrily, but admiration was still visible in his eyes.

_Whatever you did to my mirrors, dear sisters, it's pretty damn good. I probably can't do something like this even if I** tried**, which is saying something. _

Sighing and grumbling at the same time, he gave up and pulled his backpack from underneath his bed, checking to make sure everything was in there and in tact. He then grabbed his skater shoes from his couch, and finally headed out the door.

Slightly preoccupied with his thoughts as he walked to his kitchen, that he didn't notice the maids and male servants gaping openly as he passed them.

He descended down the stairs and into the kitchen, as he usually did, to grab something to eat. The dining hall was only for lunches and dinners, or for when guests came over.

So, because of his thoughts that were revolving around mirrors, Syaoran hardly noticed that all movement had stopped when he stepped into the kitchen. Maybe it had registered somewhere back in there, but he didn't really notice it. He dropped his backpack and shoes beside the table and then grabbed a muffin, and poured himself a glass of milk. He sat down at the table with it, chewing.

It was only then that he noticed that everyone was staring.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, somewhat confused,

"What?"

If possible, everyone's eyes widened even more, and that included Yelan and his four sisters, which had just arrived in the kitchen and frozen completely.

"Y-y-you…ah…um…y-y-you—"

"If you don't have anything to say, then just don't say it," Syaoran interrupted the chef that had spoken, rolling his eyes and lazily leaning back in his chair, arm slung around the back of it.

The chef gulped and nodded nervously, backing off.

Yelan cleared her voice hesitantly, too surprised to tell her son to straighten his posture in his chair.

She certainly wasn't expecting _this _from Syaoraneven though she had definitely expected something. The change was remarkable, and he really did look like his late father now. It brought back painful memories, and she felt herself wondering how she could live from now on with this new development.

"Err, Xiao Lang…you have…improved yourself. It looks…ah, quite nice if I do say so myself,"

Syaoran's eyebrows disappeared under his messy hair line with disbelief, this time his turn to stare.

"Uh. Thank you. I think." He cleared his throat, "I don't think that I look that much different, all I did was change my clothes and not put gel in my hair," he seemed to remember something at that moment though, and he directed an accusing look at his four speechless sisters. "Did you do something to my mirrors while I was gone yesterday or something? Cause when I came out of the washroom and looked at myself, I saw this guy in the mirror. He's definitely _not _me and—"

"Xiao Lang," Yelan cut in, highly amused, "He is you. Your sisters did nothing to your mirrors. I had about twenty of our maids make sure they didn't do anything to you or anyone else whatsoever yesterday. That person you saw in the mirror _was _you," Yelan ended loudly, talking above her son's loud disagreement.

Syaoran immediately stopped protesting after he had heard about the maid part though, eyes growing round and then dot-eyed.

The guy really _was _him? He goggled dubiously, his mouth that had been chewing his muffin gaping open and revealing chewed up food.

Yelan scrunched her face up in disgust.

"Xiao Lang, please shut your mouth. You know better than to expose the contents of your mouth when you are eating, although this time you have good reason to, so I will excuse you without a punishment,"

It took a few minutes for this to register in Syaoran's brain and when it did, he shut his mouth abruptly, having enough dignity for a sheepish look to come across his face.

"Sorry mother," he apologized obediently.

Looking fondly at him, Yelan said, quite seriously,

"Now, Xiao Lang, you are fully aware that you will be receiving a decent amount of attention today and from now own, correct?" she eyed her son for a moment and only continued when he nodded. "I advise to you for this not to get to your head, or you will be an utter disgrace to the family, as was Xenon a couple of generations back. I believe I have told you the story of him?"

Syaoran nodded seriously, knowing that this was not a joking matter.

"He was very arrogant," Syaoran started, and as he said this, he couldn't help but think that he was a bit arrogant at times too, but he didn't say anything. Hey, everyone had their faults. "Not humble at all," he continued, "And he did not obey his family or the Elders because he thought himself higher than them. He also did not follow the Li tradition on keeping their virginity until married. And because he broke this especially sacred rule, he was looked down upon even more than he already was. They had no choice but to disown him because they could see the downfall he would bring to our family. Instead, his younger brother took up the position as leader, and this younger brother is my great-great-great grandfather," Syaoran finished, reciting the story as if he had been hearing it his whole life, which, in a way, he had. His mother herself had only told him the story once, but his sisters had riled at him whenever he acted even a tad arrogant or un-humble.

His mother nodded at him proudly.

"Very good Xiao Lang. You know the story well. I trust you will not turn out to be like him?"

"Of course not mother, you can trust me," Syaoran nodded his head, and the utmost sincerity showing in his eyes as he said this caused Yelan to give her son a regarding look and a rare smile.

Quite taken aback by his mother's behaviour, Syaoran's mouth promptly dropped open again.

Yelan's smile evaporated and she looked at her son with disapproval.

"Really, Syaoran! I thought I had taught you better than that! Do not open your mouth whenever a surprise comes your way,"

Whenever his mother called him by the Japanese version of his name, it was not a good sign.

Syaoran closed his mouth again, nodded, and swallowed the rest of his food. He then threw the wrapper of the muffin away and drained his glad of milk, rinsing the glass out and placing it back into the cupboard. He made a point to use a tissue to wipe his mouth, not the back of his hand (eh…he usually used the back of his hand, but what his mother didn't know couldn't hurt her, right?).

Then, he scooped up his backpack again, along with his shoes and trudged out of the kitchen door, giving his mother a small wave and a nod to the chef that he had snapped at before, silently apologizing for that. But as he passed his still frozen sisters, he gave them a wide smirk that made him look like a playboy.

"So, for once you have nothing to say? I'm shocked!" Syaoran mocked. Before they could unfreeze and defend themselves, Syaoran was already out the door, having shoved on his shoes.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Now, as Syaoran walked to school, his steps became slower and slower and he became more reluctant as he drew nearer. He had already had people staring at him, and honestly, it was unnerving him. He didn't think that changing his appearance would be like this!

Although, he couldn't blame them really. He had a hard enough time himself accepting that the guy staring back at him in the mirror really _was _him.

But that wasn't all that was worrying him. What would the people at school say? Would they just brand him a poser and then just go on being all hostile to him? What would Sakura say?

…Wait.

His thoughts screeched to a halt.

Why did he care about what all those stupid people would think _anyway?_

And then his cheeks became red as another thought hit him. It wasn't so much of that he cared about, it was more of…um…(envisions a coughing Syaoran) Sakura.

But _why _did he care about how Sakura would react anyway?

I mean, if she was the person he thought she was, she wouldn't care.

He groaned inside his head. This was hard. Sakura was his friend, so he naturally cared, right? Still, somehow, that seemed off, although he couldn't place a finger on it.

He groaned again, this time out loud. _Screw this! Since when did I think so much anyway? _

And so with this last lingering thought, he continued valiantly towards school, even though he was still a bit reluctant.

Arriving in front of the school, he was relieved when the bell rang right away so that he wouldn't have to hang around outside before school trying to scare people off so they wouldn't stare.

Picking up his pace, he rushed through the door and breezed through the hallways, coming to a stop in front of his locker.

He quickly dumped everything that needed to be dumped into the locker and got the appropriate things out of it. He then shut it and headed for biology, his first class for the day.

Fixing a mask onto his face, he opened his classroom door and stepped in, noticing the chatter had stopped right when he stepped in.

Syaoran slowly looked up to meet his teacher's eyes. At first he saw friendly curiosity, but this soon turned into complete surprise, an astounded look coming over his teacher's features. This was afterwards replaced by awe, but Ms. Kissumi was smart enough not to say anything. Strangely, he felt reassured by her presence. She was, after all, one of his favourite teachers, and for good reason as well.

Squaring his shoulders and reminding himself of his Li heritage, he held his head up high and met the curious gazes of everyone in the room. As he made his way to his seat, the noise in the class started up almost immediately, only this time it was with hushed whispers punctuated with some giggles and furtive glances being thrown his way.

Sitting down in his seat, he was beginning to get annoyed.

_This, is going to get some used to. _

Seeing as there was a minute until the bell for classes to start (the bell before was to admit them inside the school), he decided to eavesdrop into a conversation from a nearby group of guys.

"Who's the new kid?"

"I dunno…but why's he sitting in the geek's seat?"

There were a couple of snickers.

"Maybe the geek finally decided to drop out, and a new guy came to replace him. Finally! I swear, I hate looking at the geek's ugly face everyday."

More snickers and a few slaps to the back to the guy who had spoken.

"Well, I'm not sure about that. Wouldn't Ms. Kissumi or some other teacher have said something to us? That's what they usually do. And haven't you noticed that guy kinda looks like Li?" a quieter, more reserved (at least at the moment it was reserved) voice spoke up.

Surprised faces turned his way.

"Honestly? Xien, dude, you think about things way too much. And you actually call the geek by his name?" here he snorted disbelievingly, along with some other of his friends.

'Xien' rolled his eyes.

"No, stupid. It's his _last _name. Seriously, you don't even know his name after all this time! You guys are so mean to him. He's never done anything to you,"

Syaoran felt a small, secret smile crawl over his face. He was beginning to like this Xien guy. He didn't seem to pity Syaoran at all, since Syaoran hated when people pitied him. Xien seemed to be genuine.

Meanwhile, strange looks were being pointed at Xien. But before anybody could say anything, the guy that had spoken to Xien before practically spit out his own saliva.

"What? _What? _Xien, did you say _LI?" _

Xien nodded satisfactorily, a smirk starting to spread over his face.

"Yeah, that's what I said. What's wrong Kai?"

If everyone hadn't known better, they would've sworn that Xien was making fun of his friend.

'Kai' paled considerably, as did the other people in the group as they, one by one, began realizing what this name meant.

"A-are you—you're not lying, are you?"

"Nope," Xien shook his head cheerfully.

Kai paled even more.

"Y-you mean, he's part of _the _richest company in the world?" he started breathing heavily, but then seemed to think of something and calmed himself down, "No. It can't be. Li's a common name, and if he _were _a Li then he would've…I dunno, he would've done something to us anyway," he shuddered at the thought.

Xien looked at his friends in pity as they began to be reassured by Kai's words. He had never fit in the group that he hung out with, but he couldn't find any other people that he felt as comfortable with.

"Uh, Kai. You're wrong, Li is a part of the company. Does _Syaoran _Li sound familiar to you?"

Kai froze again, turning to face Xien slowly.

"Xien, you really aren't kidding this time, are you?" he asked timidly.

A few seats away, Syaoran covered his mouth in a secret smirk.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't lie about something like this," Xienanswered simply.

It was then that Ms. Kissumi interrupted her class.

"Ok, class, settle down. The bell is going to ring any minute now."

And sure enough, ironically, the bell rung right after she said this. She nodded satisfactorily to her students, casting a small sympathetic glance to Syaoran, who was currently slumped into his seat with annoyance.

She then swiftly started attendance, going down the list.

"Kai?"

"Here," came a small, subdued voice. She raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment.

"Sria?"

"Present,"

"Xai Ling?"

"Hey,"

Ms. Kissumi rolled her eyes at this response, glancing over at the lazily grinning boy. Always the joker, he was.

Then the attendance continued on.

But then…Ms. Kissumi paused for a moment before announcing.

"Syaoran? Syaoran Li?"

She noticed that the room became dead silent as soon as she announced this, and she noticed that notes were being passed around, although she didn't comment on it. It was probably on who Syaoran was (the geek)…honestly. A lot of paling of faces could be seen as well. Seriously, one would think that they would've known Syaoran's name after all this time.

"Present," a strong voice answered.

Gasps of surprise came from around the room as they gaped openly at the hunk sitting there.

That…that irresistibly hot guy couldn't be the geek! (A/N: Sakura isn't in this class, just so you know, k?)

Immediately, the noise started up again.

"_That's _the geek?"

"I don't believe it!"

"It's not humanly possible!"

"Wait, the geek's name is Syaoran _Li? _That means he could be part of the Li company!"

Syaoran's eyebrows twitched. He was extremely irritated.

This was going to be a _long _day.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As it turned out, it _was _a long day.

_Figures, _Syaoran thought grouchily. But, nobody could really blame him for being grumpy.

Every single class was mayhem, and the staring and once-overs weren't helping either. Oh, how he hated once-overs. The girls were looking at him weird too, with that lovey-dovey, I-want-to-cuddle-you expression on their faces. And alas, the teachers weren't helping either, other than Ms. Kissumi and Mrs. Saruni, his biology and calculus teacher. They were the only sensible teachers in the entire school, he was finally convinced of that. Of course, he had suspected it before, but this definitely proved it. He knew something was wrong with the other teachers as soon as he laid eyes on them. Yup.

He was desperately beginning to regret his decision of his makeover as well. But, he kept reminding himself that it was for the best. He really couldn't stand to revert back to his old self now though…jeez, well, that gel really wasn't working out.

"Syaoran! Syaoran!" A voice suddenly called out.

Startled, he raised his eyes and saw a hand waving above everyone else in the hallway, where he was just about to head outside to eat.

The people in the hallway turned, surprised, to gaze at the cheerful auburn haired girl.

Once Sakura spotted him looking her way, she gave him a sunny smile and walked up to him.

"Can I eat with you?"

Too surprised for words (ok, and maybe the fact that he was blushing, that happy feeling welling up in him again), he only dumbly nodded before leading her outside, winding around astonished students and finally coming to a stop in front of a large tree to the side of the school.

It was a weeping willow tree, one of his favourite kinds of trees, because he loved going under the leaves. It made him feel like he was in a cocoon.

(A/N: I dunno if that grows in Hong Kong either! Lol, my knowledge of Hong Kong is very limited, as you can see)

Settling under it he finally looked up at Sakura, who was studying him at the moment.

Once she saw him look her way though, she blushed and looked away. Yup, there was no mistaking it. She was definitely blushing, and a strange look overcame her eyes that he had only seen two times before when he had hung out with her.

"Sakura? You ok?" he hesitantly asked, still having that weird glow inside of him.

_Her hair is so beautiful…and so are her eyes. Her personality is so wonderful too, I could probably come to love h— _

Wait! HALT! Where did _that _come from?

That was it, he was officially going insane. Stupid conscience. He had only known Sakura for a little while, and he didn't think that the first day of school when Sakura said 'hi' to him counted.

"Y-yea, I'm ok. You just…um, look…different today," then, at seeing his alarmed look, she added hastily, "But in a good way! What did you do with yourself?" she finally took a seat beside Syaoran, a little awkwardly.

Inside, though, her hunk alarm was shrilling loudly and her thoughts were screaming at her, _hot! Hot! Hot! This guy is **hot!** _

Oh. Crap. She didn't need this. Syaoran was a simple friend!

Although, his hair was _so… _

_Grrr,_ she growled to herself. But, she had to admit, letting the hair out of the gel WAS definitely a good idea.

Crap, now she knew that Syaoran really was good-looking.

"Oh, I just didn't put gel in my hair and I chose new clothes and shoes. No big deal. I don't get why everyone's acting so strangely," Syaoran shrugged nonchalantly.

Sakura's eyes practically boggled out of her head at this.

"Syaoran," she started carefully, slightly uncomfortable, "You look _really _different…uh, trust me."

His eyebrows rose, which made Sakura insist, trying to avoid his oh-so-_gorgeous _eyes,

"It's true!"

Reluctantly, Syaoran answered,

"…Ok, fine. Maybe you're right. But still, it's so annoying. They could lay off the staring once in awhile…SEE!" he assessed the area outside of the tree, spotting numerous people gawking at him, and at Sakura sitting beside too. He could just sense the rumours and gossip floating around in their little heads. "I swear, this is getting annoying." He grumbled this out.

Sakura suppressed her laughter, but couldn't restrain a choked snort at his comical expression.

Syaoran turned his scowl to her, crossing his arms and lunch still untouched.

"And what's so funny? I don't think it's funny at all!" (A/N: This always happens to me too, so I can empathize…;P)

"Nothing," Sakura replied innocently, hand plastered over her mouth. She quickly faced away from his fiery amber-brown eyes or else he would have seen how red her face was getting from restrained laughter…and something else.

She felt queerly happy-go-lucky.

Umm, ok, so maybe she was usually a happy-go-lucky person, but this time it was even more so than usual (A/N: Scary). And this odd feeling was inside of her whenever she glanced at Syaoran, or even peeked at him. Or, it happened when he talked, or when he said her name, or when he smiled, or when he laughed…

Gr.

She had felt this with him before, but it was still…

Very, very strangely, weirdly, oddly, queerly strange.

And when girls looked at him, she felt mad for some reason.

And. Jealous.

She growled out loud by mistake, all that thinking starting to hurt her head. It was too much for one girl to take in all at once!

"Sakura? You ok?" Syaoran inquired, all past arguments suddenly forgotten.

"Yeah, sure, I'm ok." Sakura tossed over her shoulder before turning back and rapidly opening her lunch bag, bringing out a sandwich and a juice box, so she didn't have to look at him and feel that burning in her face.

Syaoran peered at it.

"So, you're one of the baggers?"

Sakura flashed a grin at him.

"Yup. Cafeteria food is disgusting,"

"Hey! I don't agree, so don't insult my precious, fattening cafeteria food!" Syaoran looked highly offended.

Sakura nudged him with her elbow, trying to act normal.

"Then why didn't you _get _cafeteria food today?" she fixed her gaze purposely at the brown bag in his lap.

Syaoran flushed.

"I forgot my lunch money…" he mumbled sheepishly.

Sakura rolled her eyes and smacked his arm playfully.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

To say the least, Syaoran was exhausted from his day. Sakura had been a big help, thank god, and so were her friends, Tomoyo, Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko, which she had introduced to him that day. At least he had friends now, even if they were all girls. They were great, but almost all of the other girls at school wouldn't leave him alone and a lot of guys were giving him glares as well for 'stealing all the girls', most of which had boyfriends. It wasn't as if he had wanted to!

To the ladies, he was a god. Who cared if he had been 'the geek' in the past, all that mattered was right now. To most of the guys, he was a poser and needed to be scorned, the same asbefore.

What he needed at the moment were his two best friends, Eriol and Yamazaki, and his cousin, Meilin.

Sadly, Meilin was on vacationJapan, in a small town called Tomoeda, or something like that. And Eriol and Yamazaki went to a different school.

It sucked, he knew.

He really doubted that Meilin would come back soon anyway, because she had claimed in her emails that she liked Tomoeda much better than Hong Kong, since was a really busy and crowded place and Tomoeda was a small, peaceful city. And the air wasn't that polluted either.

There was still tomorrow with all the stares as well, and the day after that. AND the day after that. The list could go on.

"Have a good day, young master?" Wei brought him out of his thoughts when he came through the door. As usual, his butler was standing dutifully beside the door. He had already seen Syaoran in the morning, so he wasn't too surprised at his appearance. Although, he didblink once or twice to get 'adjusted'.

Syaoran didn't even bother to say yes, instead he just ignored the butler completely and handed a maid his jacket.

"I see," Wei spoke up after a little while, amusement dancing in his eyes. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yelan at the doorway of a room along with her four daughters, all eyeing Syaoran with various expressions on their faces.

Syaoran huffed up the stairs to his green room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: Lol, sorry for the late chapter but my grandpa's appendix was about to explode and we had to rush him to the hospital after a check-up at a clinic. Then he had to have an operation, which, sadly, was very expensive. So we had to take care of him all week. Plus, I'm getting minor writer's block, but it isn't anything serious. Your reviews help, if you care to review at all! LONG chapter! If I made a mistake that I overlooked, tell me.

Questions (I forgot to answer some of them in the last chapter –looks sheepish-):

_Question: _What does AU mean?

_Answer: _AU means alternate universe. Sorry about that…eheheh. And if you're wondering what alternate universe is, it's like a different world with the CCS characters, cause it doesn't follow the general storyline of the actual CCS. Think of it as being transported to another universe, but with the same people.

_Question: _Are Meilin and Tomoyo going to be in this fic?

_Answer: _Well, you know the answer to this one now! It's in this chapter, that in face, yes, Tomoyo and Meilin are going to be in the story. I like to include as many of the real characters of CCS as I can in my stories!

_Question: _Will the cherry blossom grove be a special place for Sakura and Syaoran later?

_Answer: _Am I really _that _predictable? Yes, the cherry blossom grove is gonna be a special place for SS later. Lol, it's been so overused that I even considered not doing that for a while, but…-cough cough- the chance to do it was too much to pass up. Besides, it IS good idea, that's the reason why it's been used so much!

Eh…I think that's it for this time.

Here are some review responses, sorry I can't answer them all:

**Wolf Jade: **Yeah, I know what you mean about gel. It's disgusting to touch, I like hair spray too! Please keep on reviewing, I love all of your reviews!

**Illusion Dragon:** I still haven't gotten around to emailing you back…-looks at floor- I'm sorry! But my email isn't working again. Gr. Stupid new laptop. But thanks for your review anyway!

**Littlelonewolf:** Heheh, I have a feeling the attention won't get to Syaoran's head, unless I change my mind about that, but I doubt it! Hope this chapter satisfied you enough!

**Gurla-Aya:** I'm way too lazy to include all the capital stuffs in your name, so sorry. Anyway, we all have our moments. It's ok…-pats shoulder-. Lol! Don't worry, I can be even more crazy than you sometimes, believe it or not. Thanks for your review and keep reviewing!

**Silver Sky Magician:** Thanks for your advice and stuff, I look forward to your reviews! And I know Hong Kong's a really big, and crowded city. I've seen pictures…I've heard that they eat a lot of chicken over there, is that true? Lol! But keep reviewing anyways! (Now I know you're a she)

**M3rI R03**: I'm flattered! Thanks, and I hope you're satisfied. Keep reviewing!

**SkyStar: **-sweatdrops- Ahem, yeah…well, I know about hyperness though, so don't worry, you're not alone! Thanks for reading. Keep reviewing! (have you noticed I say that a lot? Lol)

**Cherryxxblossom**: I like your name by the way. Thanks for taking the time to review my story! I live in Canada too, and I do know for a fact that some cherry blossom trees grow in Canada (in the southern side, dunno about the north), I've seen them! In fact, there's one just a few blocks away from me…they're so pretty and pink…and I love them! Keep reviewing!

**Chinita92: **You're funny. I like that bush idea…and I wish anime were real. I was just looking at some pictures today of Syaoran (too bad f f . n e t censors them so you can't post them up) and he's so cute! I wish he were real. Thanks for your review! Please keep reviewing!

Now, IMPORTANT! I need a plot for my story! Can you believe I don't have one beyond this? I'm going to make SS fall in love, but I need an actual plot and obstacles and all that good stuff. THIS is where you guys come in. Please review and offer suggestions, please? Try to make it original, not something that's too typical and has been used a lot before, cause I like original stuff! –wink- So, I can use parts of your suggestions and put it together or something like that. Thanks, I would really appreciate it!

Oh, and please review, no flames as usual, but suggestions are welcome! Long author's note, I know. Please don't kill me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll just go now…

;D


	7. Brewing Trouble

A/N (**PLEASE READ) **I've decided to make this story longer than I originally wanted it to (I hope you're cheering!), because I have a great plot now, thanks to you people! Thanks again! I'm going to incorporate some of my ideas with some of yours, yeah? I appreciate your help! –grins-

Disclaimer: I get weary of this thing. I do not own anything you recognize.

Chapter Six: Brewing Trouble 

Syaoran felt dread in the pit of his stomach.

_Oh boy. Here we go again. _

He had friends at school now, but he was a guy. And the friends were girls. It just wasn't the same.

Dressed in some dark green khaki pants, a black t-shirt with a button up green shirt over it, of course unbuttoned, he made his way down to the kitchen and did everything that he normally did. He just plain ignored his sisters blinking at him, still trying to get used to this new image of him while his mother looked on with an expressionless face.

Ah well, his family was weird so he didn't comment.

Sliding on his backpack he gave his family a quick wave before jogging off to school.

When he got there, Chiharu, Rika, Naoko, Tomoyo and Sakura came and greeted him.

"Hey Syaoran!" Sakura welcomed, and at the same time, the rest of her friends all chimed, "Hey Li!"

Surprised, unused to greetings, and at the same time touched by this, Syaoran could only open and close his mouth, looking like a fish. Albeit, a very _adorable_ fish.

Giggling behind her hand, Tomoyo nudged Sakura.

Blushing, Sakura asked,

"Um, Syaoran? Are you ok?"

Sensing some inside sort of joke going on, Syaoran closed his mouth abruptly and only replied,

"Yeah, sure. Let's go,"

All the girls nodded and walked with him to inside the school. (A/N: This part was pointless, I know, but I'll get to the good stuff, ok? This is going to be a very busy chapter, and it's very important to the next chapters coming up. And I know, this chapter isn't my best work, but I'm very tired at the moment, plus I have minor writer's block even though I know what I want to do with this story, I'll try to be cheerful though!)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Before anyone knew it, lunch time had come. Although, Syaoran was still a bit annoyed at an incident that happened in second period.

_"Li? Will you please come up to the board and demonstrate how to solve this problem?" his teacher asked, gesturing to a math problem up on the board. Automatically, Syaoran answered in a monotonous voice that was bordering a bored drawl, _

_"Yes Mr. Assonina," (he was secretly laughing at his teacher's very feminine last name) and got up from his seat, moving to the blackboard. Picking up a piece of chalk, he glanced over the question and quickly solved it in his mind. _

_Then, deftly, he wrote down the answer and started explaining to the class how he did it, showing his work neatly beside the question. Once he finished, he placed the chalk back on its powdery ledge and receded back to his seat. _

_"Thank you Li," he heard the teacher comment. Syaoran gave a nod. _

_But then it was only back at his seat did he finally notice the silent looks being sent his way. _

_Then the silence was punctuated with a squeal. _

_Well, he certainly knew where this was going. _

So, he now was trying to evade the sneaky girls (only they were not very sneaky) trying to stalk him. Talk about subtle, thinking he couldn't hear their giggles and their hair that poked out from around the corner of the hall.

This naturally led to a very agitated Syaoran.

He hurried along in the hallways and halted when he saw Sakura and her group of girls. Relieved, he rushed up to them and hissed,

"A little help here?" and jabbed a thumb at the corner, where hushed whispering could be heard, disapproval lining the voices. It was probably directed at the group of girls that Syaoran was talking to.

"Oh…" all of them chorused.

Tomoyo had a gleeful shine to her eyes.

"This is so cute! So dramatic! I should've brought my video camera…" here she looked stumped, and she just…drooped for a moment. But then, being Tomoyo, she perked up again, "Well, that's ok! I can just draw pictures of you guys, it'll be just as good as a movie!" She quickly whipped out a notebook, a habit that Syaoran had soon come to learn, along with her recording. No wonder Sakura and Tomoyo were best friends, they seemed to have an obsession with notebooks.

Sweat dropping and shaking his head, Syaoran plastered on a big, bright smile and started chatting with them, making it look like he was flirting.

"Hey, so what's your favourite colour?" Syaoran asked conversationally.

"Purple," came Tomoyo.

"Yellow." Chiharu said, after thinking for a moment.

"Pink!" Sakura chirped, clapping her hands together.

Syaoran chuckled at this childish response, and a half smile tilted his features, eyes softening. He had no idea what it was about her.

"Um, red, because it's scary," Naoko finally announced, her love for ghost stories finally coming through. Sakura shrunk back a little, which Syaoran noticed with great amusement.

"What about you, Rika?" he questioned the quietest of the group.

"Er…I like maroon," her timid response came.

He nodded kindly.

"What's your favourite colour, Syaoran? Or should I say, Romeo?" Sakura teased lightly, nudging him with her elbow and unaware of Tomoyo's beaming face and the raised eyebrows from the rest of her friends.

Syaoran, perfectly aware of all the reactions, flushed.

"U-uhm, uh…green…" he half mumbled, lowering his gaze to the ground.

"Ooh, I should've guessed…that suits you so much!" Sakura sarcastically said, rolling her eyes, but nonetheless pulled out her trusty notebook and jotted it down, before speaking again, "This comes from a person who doesn't appreciate Mother Nature! Humph, hypocrite."

"Hey!" Syaoran looked offended, "I like the colour, and just because a lot of 'Mother Nature' is green, that doesn't mean anythin. Besides, you're way too freakish about all this 'save the earth' stuff,"

Sakura's mouth dropped open indignantly.

"No way! You did not just say that. –You did _not _just say that! Oh my god, don't speak about my nature that way!"

"_Your _nature," Syaoran said in disbelief, grunting at the end. "Well, I have my own opinion about it you know,"

"Mine's better!"

"Sakura, stop acting like a child,"

"I'm not acting like a kid!"

"Yes, you are,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"NO!"

"YES, Sakura, and that's final."

"Oh, and this is coming from a guy who's way too grown up for his own good!"

"Hey, that's not true! And even if it were, you should try growing up in my house."

"Mansion, you mean,"

"Right, mansion. But still, you should, you would turn into an adult faster than you can say…uh, hoola hoola!"

"Hoola hoola?" Sakura snorted, "What is this? Hawaii?"

And so it continued. What a shifty, weird friendship. The stalking girls behind the corner were long forgotten, as were Tomoyo, Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko. How sad.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Seruina frowned from around the corner as she watched her new idol, Syaoran, and that Sakura Kinomoto girl argue. They were…were…flirting! Well, arguing usually wasn't flirting, at least not in her opinion, but it was just pointless arguing and it was like they were teasing each other. Which was flirting, in a manner.

"Mai-Lang?" she looked around for her best friend.

"Yeah Seruina?" Someone whispered back. It was from a girl with long black hair slicked up into two neat pigtails and warm dark brown eyes.

"Where's Ying? She was supposed to come stalk Li with us," she named her other best friend.

"Eh…" Mai-Lang scratched her head. "I think we lost her somewhere over at another hallway. She probably stayed to stare at Xien."

Seruina rolled her eyes.

"Figures," she muttered. "Anyway, do you think I have a chance with Li?" she gave her friend a piercing look with her own lighter dark brown eyes.

"Well…" Mai-Lang started out hesitantly, avoiding her friend's intense eyes. Then, before she could lie to her best friend, she blurted, "I really don't think so. I don't think Li likes all the girls chasing him. He's just not interested. Besides, I think he likes the Kinomoto girl,"

As soon as she finished speaking, she held her breath for what she knew was to come.

…But, surprisingly, it didn't come.

"Oh. Oh_…_ I see…" the soft answer came instead, but there was something meaningful behind it.

It would've been easier to crush Seruina's hopes if Seruina had been a complete ditz and a bitch as well, but she wasn't either, that was the thing (well, she was, sometimes…but then again, everyone was at times). Mai-Lang wouldn't befriend someone like that. But, the flaw in Seruina was that when she really badly wanted something, she wouldn't give up on it until she finally realized that it was completely hopeless for her.

And, she would do a whole lot to get what she wanted. It didn't help that she was very smart.

If the Harry Potter fantasy were real, Mai-Lang was almost positive that Seruina would be placed in Slytherin, the place for the sly and cunning.

And yet, Seruina could also be so selflessly kind as well, once she realized what she did was wrong. Sadly, that was only _after _she had given up on what she wanted.

And from the looks of it, she wanted Syaoran Li, badly. She was infatuated, and Mai-Lang just didn't have the heart to tell her to stop it before she got in too deep.

Yes, she knew Mai-Lang was a coward and she shamed herself for it, because she knew that so many people had gotten hurt because she and Ying, Seruina's other best friend, had only stood by and watched everything happen. Not daring to interfere, not daring to help.

And this time, she knew it would be no different.

Mai-Lang, oh-so-faithful best friend already saw the familiar steely, evaluating look appear in Seruina's eyes.

She sighed, closing her eyes.

_Here we go again. I hate this._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"La, la la, LA!" Sakura hummed as she strutted down the hall of the school, backpack over her shoulders.

She was heading for the front door to go home since it was at the end of the day (yes, Syaoran had finally lost the silly stalker girls).

However, she stopped humming for a moment once she spotted something. She retreated back a few steps, pausing curiously at an interesting looking poster tacked on a bulletin board.

Her eyes skimmed over it.

**The Valentine's Day Dance **

**Hey all you hopefuls out there! If you still haven't found the romance out there that we all know you deserve, why don't you come to the Valentine's DayDance? It's just the perfect chance to ask that special someone to go there with you, or maybe that special someone will ask you? Candy, drinks, chips, and of course, chocolate are all included in the overall cost. This of course, all leads to the romance, which what Valentine's Day is all about! Tickets are only five dollars and fifty cents…that's right, you heard me, only five dollars and fifty cents, and it's all you can eat snacks there too. So come get your ticket, just come over to the office and take a form, ask your parents to sign, pay some money, and voila! You can go. Oh, but remember to get a ride home for the dance, which takes place right after school. Song lists will be submitted to each class, asking you what songs you would like to be played at the dance. Remember to include some slow songs, I know all you males out there are blushing, but hey, it'll be fun! The dance will be right on Valentine's day. So join the fun at the most popular dance of the year. You'll be missing out on a lot if you don't go.**

Sakura felt a slow smile blossom over her face. She wanted to go! The person who wrote the poster was very convincing as well, she was sure that most of the teachers wouldn't approve of what was written there, and that was precisely what would compel a lot of students to go. That, and, the prospect of romance…

She sighed, feeling her smile fade. Nobody would send her a valentine, much less ask her to the dance (probably not anyway).

The last person that had asked her to the dance and given her a valentine had been…

No, she didn't want to think about that at the moment.

Just thinking about that made her stomach sick, but she was already long over it.

Shaking her head and letting out a wistful smile, Sakura sped to the office, stopping in front of it.

She carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside. Standing in front of the nearest desk, she tapped her fingers on it, making a drumming sound. Then, once she was sure she had gotten the secretary's attention, she inquired politely,

"Um, can you tell me where the forms for the Valentine Dance are, please?"

The secretary gave her a small, amused smile at which Sakura was confused at, and turned to the side, pointing at a quite obvious tray on a rack.

"They're right there,"

Sakura stared at the tray for a moment, now not quite as confused as before, a sweat drop slowly making its way down her head.

She coughed, face blushing with embarrassment. (A/N: This happens to me sometimes. –hides face- Oh my god, it's so embarrassing!)

"Oh. Uh, eheheh, thanks?"

The secretary laughed.

"Oh, no problem at all dear, I was like that when I was younger too. Don't worry about it, happens to all of us,"

Sakura gave a relieved smile at this and thanked the nice lady with a nod of her head, saying,

"I'll remember that, thanks!"

"You're quite welcome!"

She then trotted up to the rack, noticing it was all decorated with pink and red hearts where the tray was. Sweat dropping once again at her stupidity, she picked up a form from the tray.

She folded it, pushing it into her pocket. Then she pondered.

Hmmm, maybe she could ask Syaoran to go with her to the dance, as friends. She perked up at the idea.

Yeah, then she wouldn't be so alone. He always brought a smile to her face, and she only knew him for, what? A few days.

And with that thought in mind, she grabbed another form for Syaoran and skipped out the doors of the school and proceeded to walk home.

She started to hum again, only this time it was an actual song, unlike before when she was just…um, humming nothing in particular. Right now she was humming this great song that she absolutely adored. It was an oldie, but she loved it anyhow.

Sakura sighed, she loved this song so much, she hoped that it would be played at her own graduation in the future, but she wasn't so sure since it was a really old song. Well, it was around four to five years old at the moment, did that count as really old? She wasn't sure.

She started singing the other verses, but raucous laughter stopped her. Brows furrowed, she peeked behind her, where she heard the laughing coming from. Her eyes turned round at what she saw.

Three swaggering boys were headed her way.

They were clearly drunk.

They all had bottles in their hands, probably alcohol or beer.

They all had wrinkled, dirtied clothes.

They all had haggard appearances.

They had wild looks in their eyes, as if looking for something, or someone.

Sakura wasn't stupid, she knew what this all meant: trouble. She had heard about things in the news, she had read books, she knew what could happen to her, even though she had thought nobody in her neighbourhood, or in Tomoeda for that fact, would do that kind of stuff.

This only showed where naivety could go.

So, Sakura, now frightened but trying to stay calm, started rapidly walking faster without trying to draw attention to herself (she was almost positive that the three guys could outrun her if they tried), pumping her legs until they hurt from trying not to run.

But in her haste, she knew she had made one fleeting mistake. And it wasn't a good mistake as far as mistakes went.

_Crinkle, crinkle. Crack. _

She stepped on a plastic bottle lying on the sidewalk.

Watching in horror as it made a loud crackling noise and hearing the laughter stop, becoming dead silent right after. She didn't have to look to know that they were now gazing at her. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled ominously.

This couldn't be happening to her. This type of stuff just didn't happen to her.

And so she did the only thing she could.

As the adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her breathing became shallower. Her heart was beating painfully against her chest.

_Thump. _

_Thump. _

_You're not fast enough, you're not going to get away… _A small voice whispered in the depths of her mind, going by unnoticed.

For, there really was only one thing on her mind.

_Run._

Run, Sakura.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: Busy chapter, yup, this chapter was very crucial. Yes, this is shorter than normal! YES! Go me! I managed a short chapter! I know, I know, you must be wondering, why am I cheering when I should be apologizing? Well, you see, my dear readers, I have good reason. I've noticed my chapters are getting really long, and that I'm only up to my seventh, technically sixth chapter in my story when I feel like I'm up to my eighth or ninth! This is because of my atrociously long chapters. If I want to stretch this story beyond eleven or twelve chapters, I have to make my chapters shorter, sorry! I know this chapter isn't the best, -shrugs- but I explained before somewhere in the chapter.

_Question: _There's no Sakura in Hong Kong! How can there be a Sakura in Hong Kong unless Syaoran went to get her from Japan?

_Answer: _I get weary of this. Lol, just kidding, but like I said before, this story is AU, which means alternate universe, which means I can do anything to the characters of the CCS cast and manipulate them however I want to. So, in my story, Sakura doesn't live in Japan at the moment, it was explained how she used to live in Japan but moved to Hong Kong when she was very little.

_Question: _Oh my god, there aren't gonna be major problems right?

_Answer: _Ha ha, I'm just answering this question for my own amusement (jeez, I'm like Eriol in a way), since it really isn't very important. But, as for this, I'm not going to say, but it won't be too heart-breaking because just thinking about those stories where SS encounters a lot of problems to get themselves together and they're constantly breaking each other's hearts just makes me weary. No, it's not going to be like that, unless you want me to! Do you? I wasn't planning to, but do you? I could, if you want, but not as angsy as what I just said.

_Question: _Is there going to be some ET and YC in this fic?

_Answer: _Um, as for the ET part, yes, there is going to be some of that stuff, even though I'm not a particularly big fan of theirs. About YC, eh…-scratches head sheepishly- what's that anyway? Sorry! I'm sure if you give me their names I'll know though, and I can answer in my next chapter.

_Question: _Was Syaoran in his cool clothes when he was with Sakura for the first time? I mean, I'm pretty sure that he had his cool clothes on with Yamazaki and Eriol. I'm confused!

_Answer: _Uh…ahem, well. I answered this before in another chapter. Read over that second chapter more carefully, you'll see that he wasn't in his cool clothes at all until Monday! Well, we all miss things sometimes, but it's ok, I tried to make it as obvious as possible that he was in his geeky clothes the whole weekend, but I guess I didn't make it obvious enough. Sorry!

_Question: _Why is it that in Chapter One, everybody talks about how ugly Syaoran Li is but in this chapter, they are shocked at finding out his name?

_Answer: _Good point. I missed this myself, but that was only an example. I mean, I'll try to make myself clear. For people who actually meet Syaoran and know his name, _and _remember it and know that the person in front of him is actually Syaoran Li, they say that. But the people at school didn't know that, nor notice what his name is because they never pay attention to him or the attendance the teacher takes past their own name. Good point though! I'm glad you noticed it!

Alright, I know you're killing me right now with this long author's note, but…ah, I need to do this! oO Really, I do. It's for your own good! Yup. -nods head knowingly-

Some replies to reviews! Sorry everyone can't have one, I just don't have the strength, lol.

Cherryxxblossom: Hey! You're becoming a regular I'mreplying to, love your reviews. By the way, you wanna travel around the world when you grow up? Hey, me too! Yah, see, we can be buddies and then we'll meet up in Rome or something and then we'll instantly recognize each other as fellow fanfictioners even though we've never met or seen each other before! …Yea, I know, I know, I'm being crazy now, aren't I? But thanks for reviewing anyway, and keep on reviewing!

Tsubamene: Aw, I'm sure the fic you're trying to write is good too! See, if you post the first chapter up soon, I just might remember to review it (I have such a bad memory, haha :D). Thanks for your review and keep reviewing!

CherrySakura5: Yeah, I know this doesn't have a lot of fluff, but things must come first! –waggles finger- Lol, but that's ok, just keep reviewing, please?

SkyStar: I can see you didn't have chocolate this time, lol! Keep reviewing!

Mariko: Konnichiwa to you too! Your question is answered in the 'question and answer area' as I like to call it, lol. Don't worry, we all get confused sometimes! As for your idea, I might use it, kinda, just keep reading to find out if I will! And keep reviewing!

Rema: Sorry girl, I couldn't update the next day, but I hope this is fine with you! Keep R&R!

Cristal-shian: My grandpa's getting better, and so my privilege on the computer is getting better. His appendix actually _did _explode, that's why it's so serious. Wah, I didn't know that before! Nobody tells me anything nowadays…-pouts-. Thanks for your concern though, keep R&R! Your answer's up above somewhere,

Pinaygrrl: I especially love your reviews, you know? They make me feel all happy…if there were a sticker for an awesome reviewer, I would give it to you. Thanks for reading and reviewing, keep on doing it!

Chinita92: Uhhh…-goggles nervously at you- this, is kinda scary. I'm guessing you like Syaoran a lot? Eheheh, well that's ok, I love him too! We can be Syaoran fangirls together! Lol, I know I'm scary too. And as for pictures of Syaoran, I have all kinds. Him angry (it's so cute), sleepy, lovey-dovey, nervous, blushing, flustered, all soft, serious, concentrated, scared, freaked out, annoyed, glaring, contemplating, cold…um, that's all I can think of for now but I know there's more. As for the scenes, they're mostly with Sakura. I even have one in his swimming trunks! Hey, I can also be your internet pal, no prob. Um, here, I'll dedicate the next chap to you, k? Keep R&R! Whew, this was a long reply.

Renzieyoung: Thanks for your ideas, I'll think about it. Keep reviewing!

Wolf Jade: I'm sorry your grandfather died, you must've been close to him, huh? I love your review by the way, and I might use your idea, but I don't like writing about those old criticizing geezers they call Elders a lot in my stories, they always ruin everything, lol! So I probably won't, but thanks for your suggestion, you can use that for your own story though, it's your idea! Keep R&R, I loved the long review, thank you.

Illusion Dragon: You're so sweet…always one of the first to review too! I love you gurl, in a friendly way of course. –sweatdrops- Well, you know that I sent you those kawaii pictures of Syaoran and crew, but I haven't been able to make my email work again. So, can you tell me in a review what you think of them? Thanks, I would really appreciate it! And as for your suggestions, I'm going to use some of them actually, and you're right, they are overused, but I can twist them in my own original way! Err, kinda anyway. I love your reviews!

Yeah, yeah, I know! Looong, heheh…don't kill me! –covers head-

Now, please review! No flames, but suggestions welcome!

;D


	8. Syaoran

A/N: I'm so sorry! I know you been waiting for so long for this chapter…and I'm, what, three weeks late? But, I do have a perfectly reasonable explanation. I've been so deprived of computer time that it's not even funny. My life's been so busy lately that all I've gotten time for is school, homework, the occasional going-outs with some friends, and reading recently updated fics.And my dad isn't helping either!So, I'm so sorry!

Here's the long awaited chapter seven anyhow! I hope you like it, it's not really my style of writing, but, -shrugs- oh well, I did my best. I'm not really good at climaxing parts.

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. Must this always come? Lol…

Chapter Seven: Syaoran… 

_Run. _

Run, Sakura.

She did not hesitate.

Sakura heard her heels slapping on the pavement. Her head felt like it was spiraling, and any coherent thought was immediately squashed. She knew, somewhere, the small rational part that had remained in her mind was protesting,

_The guys might not do anything to you, you know. They could've just been coming back from a party and they just happened to look at you because you made all that noise. And now they could just be standing back there thinking you're crazy for just running away like that looking like you were going to pee in your pants. _

Vaguely, she wondered if that was true, but fear drove her to push on. She had no idea where she was going anymore, and she was too scared of what she could find if she took a glance behind her to see if they were following her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she ran across a road, heedless of the angry drivers beeping at her and rolling their windows down to yell.

She nimbly sprang over a surprised little boy crouched in the middle of the sidewalk, holding a magnifying glass and admiring a worm.

Eventually, her legs became heavier, and she literally had to push to keep them going.

_No! _Her mind thought frantically. _This isn't supposed to be happening! _

Finally, she did what she knew had been coming to her. Quickly, she peeked over her shoulder.

And what she saw terrified her, and her heart rammed almost painfully against her chest.

The guys were following her.

_I'm too young to die! _

In any other situation, she would have laughed at that statement…but right now, the thought didn't even occur to her.

She whipped her head back around, eyes constricting in horror. She knew they were gaining ground, she knew she couldn't keep on running forever, even with all that adrenaline pumping through her.

Frantically, she sprinted to the nearby grocery store and entered, praying that the men wouldn't try anything in a public place. But then…they could always drag her away and do something.

And so, with a sinking heart, she watched from behind a shelf as the three strangers that had been following her saunter into the store. Beer or whatever it was bottles long forgotten, probably trashed sometime when they had been chasing her.

Sakura ignored the people staring at her strangely, wondering why she was pressed against the shelf like it was life itself.

She watched as one of the guys drunkenly asked a woman something. Looking slightly intimidated, the woman pointed to her direction.

Oh no. She knew what this meant.

She quickly raced to the next aisle, an eye trained on the entrance, hoping to get there before those drunks spotted her. She had gained at least a semblance of her rational mind back.

Breathing deeply, she clasped her hands together and then proceeded to close her eyes to calm herself.

This was to be her undoing.

Arms told hold of her from behind and spun her around.

Her eyes snapped open, disbelief and terror displayed clearly.

The man that had grabbed her, a bit older than her, curled his lips into a smile, complete delight dancing across his face. The two others stood languidly behind her. She gulped, eyes darting around. No chance for escape anymore. Why was this happening to her? What had she ever done to anyone to deserve this?

_Please!_ _Someone…please…tell me… _she pleaded in her head, the support in her legs failing her. She fell to her knees, but the male in front of her hauled her up again.

"Now," he spoke, bringing his face so close to hers that his breath tickled her face and she could smell the alcohol wafting through it. She could see those dark green eyes clearly. She tried turning her face away, but his hand forced her chin back. "You _will _cooperate, or something you probably won't like might happen, got it?" Sakura swallowed, feeling bile rise in her throat. Then, she slowly nodded her head, knowing she had no other choice. For someone so drunk, this man acted disturbingly sane. "Good. Now, stand up and walk out of the store with us like you know us and you're familiar with us."

Sakura struggled in his arms, but his hands tightened. Then, giving up, she fell limp.

"Ok." She answered, lowering her head.

"Aw, what's wrong sweetie? Come on, I want to see you smile. And I want to see your eyes,"

Sakura felt like her stomach was turning over, and it wasn't in a good way either.

But gathering up her courage, she slowly brought her head up and forced a smile on her face.

"That's good," the man stroked her face. All she could see were those dark green eyes. So dark. Had they been light once? "You're so beautiful…I wonder what you'll be like…" his eyes wandered down, stopping too long at some places of her body than was appropriate.

She hated the feeling of his vulgar eyes raking her up and down, as if she were a piece of meat to be bought. But most of all, she felt dirty. She had always treasured her innocence above everything, and now…

She felt like crumbling, falling to her knees and just crying her eyes out, hoping someone would rescue her and make everything better again.

But she knew, bitterly, that that was not meant to be. She didn't live in a fairy tale.

"Come," he finally came back to her face, the expression in his eyes causing her to shirk away. "Let's go," he signaled to his friends, who immediately took their places behind him as he stood up, cautiously letting go of her.

"Hey, aren't you gonna share her?" whined one, the one with floppy blackish-brownish hair and light brown eyes.

"Yeah, you always get the good ones," the other one with pitch black hair falling over his dark eyes agreed, complaining.

"I'm not a stupid piece of something you can fight over!" Sakura finally spoke up, upset beyond imaginable.

"Shut up," Interrupted what was probably the leader, the one with the alluring dark green eyes. Oh, alluring? She meant disgusting. "Let's just go," impatience leaked into his voice, and he went over to the sliding doors, who's clear glass reflected Sakura's pale face staring back at her.

And yet…a fire also burned in her eyes, defiant. She wondered what kept it going, she hadn't had that kind of intense fire before…

Before what?

She wasn't sure.

A taxi pulled up to the curb and she numbly climbed in, the two 'followers' accompanying her. The leader sat in the front seat.

Sakura stared out her window, at the scenery flying past her.

"Syaoran…" she whispered, not knowing why.

That impish way he smiled sometimes, gruff, impatient, and yet at the same time sweet and caring in his own way. He wasn't very good with people, and he hated being in groups of people that he didn't know well, but everyone had flaws and somehow those didn't bother her. Rather, she only smiled at them. If it had been with anyone else, she wasn't so sure she could be so welcoming of those characteristics, but, Syaoran was her knight. She knew he would protect her for some reason, but she didn't think at this time that was possible.

Still…

"My very own knight,"

She liked the sound of that.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Syaoran fidgeted on his couch, not even able to concentrate on the TV show in front of him, one of his favourites too. The O.C.

Something was wrong. He had no idea how he knew, but something was wrong.

He was just hallucinating. There was no way.

He shook his head. _Just get a grip Syaoran...there's nothing wrong. _

But somehow, he wasn't very convinced.

Stifling a sigh, he went to the kitchen to grab one of his carefully stashed chocolate bars and pop some popcorn. That always helped. Maybe he could ask one of his sisters to come watch the O.C. with him?

Realizing what he had just thought, he stopped in his tracks.

No way, what was he thinking?

_There's nothing wrong, there's nothing wrong, there's nothing wrong, _he kept repeating to himself.

But, if there really wasn't anything wrong, why did he feel so anxious?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

She stared at the house, it was nothing like she expected.

It was very neat, very white, Victorian-style.

She was pushed from behind, although the push was surprisingly gentle.

Sakura walked up to the house and placed a hand on the innocent white doorknob, glancing behind her but finding, with a jolt, that the drunkards were right behind her, only a hair away. Unnerved, she turned the doorknob, and found that the door was open.

She stepped in.

Inside, she found a quaint staircase that was wooden, with a sleek veneer covering it so that it shone, almost magically. Turning her head up, her eyes flickered in dismay as she found a crystal chandelier above of her.

The dark green-eyed guy closed his hand around her right arm and led her upstairs, using that odd gentleness that he hadn't possessed before. They left the other two to pout at the bottom of the stairs.

She watched in odd fascination as they stopped in front of a seemingly harmless door.

All her thoughts, they only tumbled away, because right now, she knew what was going to happen. She would rather die than do…do _that _with _him_. And at the moment, she felt so frozen, so deadened.

"Don't be afraid," a husky voice murmured into her ear.

Don't be afraid?

She wanted to laugh hysterically. Yes, she was perfectly content. She didn't voice any of her thoughts however, and she merely nodded.

Her expressionless spring-green eyes observed the door being opened and those dark green eyes, like the murky depths of the ocean, bore into hers. A hand clasped hers.

She had no way of escape…the other two guys were at the bottom of the stairs guarding it, there was no way she could escape through a window or else she would fall to her death.

And all through this, all she could think about was…

_Syaoran. Why didn't you come? Why didn't you? You were supposed to come. You're like my knight. You're the only person I've ever given a nickname to. Romeo. _

"Come in babe," that falsely soothing voice invaded her thoughts, and she didn't need to look to know that his eyes held lust in them. She stared at their clasped hands, an unexpected anger welling up inside her.

That hand wasn't supposed to be holding hers. It was all wrong, like a twisted movie.

She yanked her hand away, and gripped her hands on the ends of her shirt.

Her emotions rushed over her again, like a tidal wave. She didn't know whether to be relieved or despairing. Tears sprung to her eyes and she purposely let her bangs cover them as that sickening man grasped her hand again.

This time she made no move to move away.

_Please, please, help me, someone. I…I… _here her thoughts broke hopelessly. That numb feeling swept over her again.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Syaoran bolted upright, as if just shocked, his hands shaking and staring at the piece of chocolate that he had just dropped.

Something was wrong.

_Something was wrong! _

_What was wrong? _

And for some reason, one name rested on his lips.

"Sakura…"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Syaoran…" Sakura sighed softly as the door clicked closed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

He shook his head. He was just hallucinating. Maybe his mother was just having trouble with that meeting of hers, the one that Syaoran had refused to attend.

But then after a few moments passed, he held his head in his hands, that restless feeling all but overwhelming him.

And for the first time since he discovered that show, he ignored the O.C.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: Finally! I'm done this chapter! Eh. I know a lot of you must be mad at me for updating after such a long time…-cowers under a table- um, please just look to the beginning of the chapter for why. Hope you like this chapter anyhow! As usual, if there are any mistakes, please tell me in a review.

_Question: _I don't think Syaoran would look that bad with his hair slicked back with gel…would he?

_Answer: _Hey, wow, I never really thought of this. Hmmm, well, think of it this way…Syaoran's hair would look like Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. It would be all slicked back so that it stuck to his head and he would look practically bald. It just doesn't suit him that much…I suppose it wouldn't look that bad, lol, everyone has their own opinions!

Review responses (sorry everyone can't get one!):

Illusion Dragon: Hey gurl! I haven't talked to you in a long time. Um, my email STILL isn't working…this has to be the longest time ever! –moans- Oh well, anyway, how do I think of all these Japanese and Chinese names? Well, I just make them up. Thing's like x's and combinations like 'ai' 'ei' and 'sh' are common, so I just try and stick them together or something. Heheh. Don't ask me how I do it. Thanks for thinking Romeo is awesome! Keep reviewing!

Wolf Jade: Oh, so that's what you mean about the elders. And about that Seruina thing, yeah, I know…but believe it or not, I've met someone like her before. Heheh, anyway, I love your story…Secret Valentines or something like that! Wow, it's so cool. Anyway, I visited your bio page and I realized that you are actually two people who share an account, and I'm curious, which one are you?

Czakali: Wow, you actually prefer short chapters? Cool! Keep reviewing, you're wonderful.

Sakura-tenshii: Oh, now I know what YC is…then…yup! **There will be YC in this fic. **Sorry for the bolded letters, but I have to let other readers know too.

Pinaygrrl: Let's see…WILL Syaoran rescue Sakura? –winks- I'll leave that for you to decide, what do you think? –laughs- I'm probably killing you with suspense right now. Heheh. Lol, yeah, and being drunk isn't good (I've never been drunk)…

Cherryxxblossom: Hey, so you don't think I'm crazy? Yay! I've moved up in the world. Lol, joking joking. Anyway, keep reviewing…

Renzieyoung: Wow, you have no idea how much you have made me happy. I appreciate your comments on my story, and I'll keep in mind that I should put Sakura's thoughts in as well. Oh, and I believe that everyone has feelings and are real people, so that's why I'm trying to make my characters as real as possible, even though the plot line is rather cliché. Please keep reviewing!

Tsubame: I've been wanting to ask you for forever, but I couldn't get this chapter posted up fast enough…what do you mean by 'I'm so good at these'? Sorry, but I'm just curious. Anyway, I LOVE your compliments! Thank you, so much! I bet the suspense is still killing you…will Syaoran save Sakura? Or not? Lol! Keep reviewing!

Cristal-shien: Hey, thanks for the YC thing, now I know! Thank you for the support on my grandpa too, he's fine now. Do you think anything will happen to Sakura? Hmmm…

Frosted Shadowz: It's ok you didn't review chapter six! I understand, and thanks for the YC thing! Thanks for loving my story too, I've worked so hard on it. Please keep reviewing!

Nina: Lol, you're so funny. Thanks for the congrats, and I'm glad you're not mad at me. Luv ya girl!

Abby: Hey, you reviewed three times! Cool, thanks…um, about the I hope Syaoran gets more cool, do you want him to get friends or something? I dunno…tell me, please!

Rema: Hope you're satisfied! Keep reviewing!

Vvchick: Thanks, I like to think that my story isn't like everyone else's too…um, I just want to be original. Even though I don't think I'm really that creative, please keep reviewing!

BriAnna: Hey, thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter…and sometimes you find it hard to find my fic? –scratches head- How? Sorry, I'm just curious…

Please review! I love you guys! As usual, no flames, but suggestions welcome.

;P


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